Spencer Johnson living in the present with an eye on T20 World Cup future

A couple of years ago, Australian pacer Spencer Johnson had no professional contract. He was working as a landscape gardener and greenskeeper but he did not let his dream of playing cricket at the top level subside. Now, the 28-year-old has already made his international debut in the two white-ball formats and is also producing fantastic performances in the various franchise leagues around the world.

At the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, Gujarat Titans acquired Johnson's services for a whopping Rs 10 crore. He will be representing the Shubman Gill-led franchise in 2024 and will be hoping to help them win their second IPL title. Johnson is set to feature in the second T20I between Australia and the West Indies in Adelaide on Sunday, February 11. The left-arm seamer acknowledged the magnitude of the opportunity but is willing to focus on his stint with the national team at the moment.

"I'm just taking it in my stride, but when you sit back and think about it it's pretty ridiculous. I'm here now and just keep going," he remarked in an interview with Perth Now.

Johnson has one eye on the 2024 T20 World Cup, which takes place in June, right after the completion of the IPL. The talented cricketer spoke about the importance of putting in consistent performances in the cash-rich league, which will enable him to push his case for a spot in Australia's squad for the marque event.

"It would be nice to have a couple of performances for Australia, but the World Cup is still a long while away. And if I have a good IPL then there's every chance I could be in that World Cup squad," he said.

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Johnson was in red-hot form during the 2023-2024 edition of the Big Bash League (BBL). He finished as the second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament, with 19 scalps from 11 games, averaging 14.47.

"I think what I did in the Big Bash is hopefully going to be good enough," an optimistic Johnson said.

The Adelaide-born said that he is looking forward to the challenge of playing international cricket and he wants to take confidence from his impressive BBL performance and do well for the 'Men in Yellow'.

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