Flower insists England not scared of Johnson

Johannesburg: England coach Andy Flower has reportedly insisted that the team isn`t scared of Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson adding that the team`s poor record in Perth will have no bearing on the third Ashes Test outcome.

Left-arm quick, Johnson had put the England batsmen off the edge in Brisbane and Adelaide, taking his side to the brink of reclaiming the Ashes after three consecutive series defeats. According to Sports24, Johnson has taken 17 wickets with his 150km/h deliveries, and has been tipped to bowl even faster on his home ground, the WACA, in the match starting on Friday. Flower said that for playing fast bowling, his batsmen have to display the combination of skill and determination to bat long periods against it adding that if the players expose their lower order, they will struggle against that sort of pace. The report said that England has a dismal record in Perth, where their only win in 12 attempts came in 1978. Flower expressed hope that captain Alastair Cook would win the toss and the team is able to bat first and post a big score on the board. He further said that the challenge at Perth would be to assess those conditions accurately and have clarity on the risk/reward that players always have to judge when they are batting, the report added.