Australia recall Johnson from India with eye on Ashes

Australia have recalled paceman Mitchell Johnson from the tour of India to help him prepare for his Ashes selection, the country's cricket board said on Thursday.

The left-arm pace bowler, who turns 32 on Saturday, will miss the seventh and final one-dayer against India after his impressive performance on the sub-continent's flat tracks.

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"Mitch has performed very well in India, however, we believe it is best for his preparation ahead of a busy summer to have him return home to increase his bowling loads in preparation for the Ashes Test window," Cricket Australia's general manager of team performance Pat Howard said in a statement.

Johnson is expected to join Peter Siddle and Ryan Harris in the Australian attack for the first Test against England starting at Gabba on November 21 after missing out on the Ashes tour of England earlier this year.

The bowler with a heavily-tattooed arm cannot take his Ashes place for granted with fellow left-armer Doug Bollinger pushing his case by claiming six wickets for New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield opener against Tasmania on Thursday.

Image: Mitchell Johnson bowls in the nets during a training session

Photographs: Reuters