Johnson eyes batting in top six

Melbourne, May 31 (ANI): Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson believes he can bat in the top six, raising the possibility he could become the game's top all-rounder.

Johnson will lead the bowling assault in the Twenty20 World Cup, which starts in England this week. But he will also be expected to provide some batting pyrotechnics as well.

He starred with bat and ball in the three-Test series in South Africa in March, taking 16 wickets at an average of 25 and belting 255 runs at 85, The Daily Telegraph reported.

Johnson, 27, also scored his maiden Test century and took his Test batting average to a respectable 34.7.

It's a record he hopes can also carry over to the limited-overs formats. However, next month's Ashes series is fixed on his radar.

He has never played a Test against England and looms as Australia's Ashes X-factor.

"At the moment I think if I keep going the way I am and keep scoring runs you just never know," Johnson said.

"That's something I can work forward to. It all just depends on what the captain and the selectors want. I'd happily put my hand up (to bat in the top six), but I'm not going to put pressure on myself to be a batting all-rounder. Bowling is still No1 for me so that's going to be my main goal," Johnson said.

Johnson believes his swinging thunderbolts will be even more lethal in English conditions.

Johnson said he was looking forward to the Twenty20 World Cup, but captain Ricky Ponting conceded Australia had been slow on the uptake with the abbreviated format. (ANI)