Queensland cricket’s most talked-about teenager Mitchell Johnson has been chosen for his Pura Cup debut in Wednesday’s clash with Victoria at Punt Road.

Michael Crutcher21-Oct-2001Queensland cricket’s most talked-about teenager Mitchell Johnson has been chosen for his Pura Cup debut in Wednesday’s clash with Victoria at Punt Road.The 19-year-old fast bowler, dubbed a “once in a lifetime” talent by former great Dennis Lillee, was today called in to replace injured swing bowler Adam Dale (shoulder) for the four-day match.Johnson is still the likely 12th man behind a Bulls attack also without injured bowlers Joe Dawes and Scott Muller, but selectors feel ready to introduce him on the domestic stage after his sound returns against New Zealand last week.Playing for the Queensland Academy of Sport, Johnson returned match figures of 3-129 from 37 overs, removing promising Black Caps opener Mark Richardsonwith the first ball of the second innings.The whispers about his talent and lightning speed first began when Lillee spotted Johnson at a fast bowling clinic in Brisbane, and the talk grew louder when the former Townsville junior was selected for the Australian under-19s.He will travel to Melbourne tomorrow with a Bulls squad including young off-spinner Nathan Hauritz, who replaced Dawes in the only other change from the squad which opened the season with a classy win over Western Australia yesterday.Dale featured heavily in the six-wicket win but he was today battling the recurrence of a shoulder complaint which has dogged him for two seasons.The Bulls will retain the same batting order in Melbourne after captain Stuart Law admitted he was considering a permanent move to No.6 to enable the defendingchampions to develop young talent.Law is second on Queensland’s all-time runscoring list but he said his new role gave younger players like Clinton Perren a better chance to prove they can establish themselves at first-class level.While Perren failed at No.4 against the Warriors, he shone last summer when he was recalled to bat up the order in the final weeks of the competition, eventually proving a key player in the Pura Cup final.”It takes the heat off the youngsters and they can get in there early and leave the rubbish to the old blokes and hopefully we can turn some totals of 200 into 350s or 400s,” Law said.”When you have a new player in the line-up you usually get a young kid who is batting at six and he either comes in at four-for-not-much or else comes in to face the second new ball.”It’s really a tough testing time for a young kid trying to find his way, with the added pressure of having to score runs to stay in the side.”Now it’s an opportunity for an old bugger like me to drop down to No.6 to bat with the tail.”Law will bat before Wade Seccombe and Andrew Bichel, who have both made first-class centuries, giving the Bulls a solid batting order to support their powerful bowling attack.Law will move up the order if the Bulls again lose Andrew Symonds to international one-day commitments in January.Queensland team to play Victoria in Pura Cup match at Punt Road from Wednesday: Stuart Law (capt), Matthew Hayden, Jimmy Maher, Martin Love, ClintonPerren, Andrew Symonds, Wade Seccombe, Andrew Bichel, Michael Kasprowicz, Ashley Noffke, Nathan Hauritz, Mitchell Johnson (12th man to be named).