Mitchell Johnson secures bumper CA pay-rise close to 1 mln dollars

Sydney: Australian pace sensation Mitchell Johnson has reportedly secured a bumper increase in pay close to one million dollars.

Cricket Australia (CA) is set to announce its new contract list soon and Johnson is vying with David Warner for the No.2 spot on the list behind Test captain Michael Clarke, a year after he was almost snubbed from the board`s elite player contract list. According to News.com.au, that put at least 15 Australian cricketers ahead of him at the time and Johnson was near the bottom of the CA player pay scale as he battled to return from injury and win back his baggy green cap. The report mentioned that although individual contract values are kept a closely-guarded secret, there is a difference in excess of one million dollars from the bottom to the top CA contact, indicating that Johnson`s extraordinary Ashes winter has netted him in the vicinity of a cool one million dollars. Meanwhile, veteran fast bowling warrior Ryan Harris, currently recovering from knee surgery, will be another big winner when the contracts are announced along with veteran wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, although former Test opener Ed Cowan and Ben Hilfenhaus are in danger of dropping off from the list. All of Australia`s international cricketers will bank more lavish pay-packets on the back of cricket`s media rights deal of more than 500 million dollars, the report added.