It's no secret that former Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson had a disastrous 2009 Ashes series, but he's now opened up on the reason why.
He was deeply affected by a rift between his then-girlfriend (now wife) and his mother, with the off-field issues compounded by his under-par performance on the pitch.
Speaking to former England cricketers turned commentators Isa Guha and Phil Tufnell on the BBC's Test Match Special podcast, Johnson said that the trip to the UK 10 years ago wasn't the friendly introduction he was wishing for, including a mention of the media presence at a tour game before the first Test at Cardiff.
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“It was just a long line of cameras and journalists and the questions — it was a barrage straight away and I was just blown away and I think my expectations were just totally off,” Johnson said
“About two days out (from the first Test) some stuff in the paper came out about my mum not liking my girlfriend — now wife — and it just took me by surprise and I didn’t know how to deal with it.
“I didn’t deal with it too well. There’s issues still there with my mum so it’s really difficult but I think at the time I didn’t know what to do."
Johnson was so annoyed in 2009 that he nearly came to blows with England batsman Kevin Pietersen, who was hitting tennis balls towards the Australian before the Cardiff Test.
“We started verbally going at it and then a few personal insults came out on his (Pietersen’s) behalf,” Johnson said.
“It was (fast bowler) Stuart Clark that had to drag me away at the time"
However, he also credited the rough period for turning his career around in later years.
“The personal stuff was in my head all the time,” Johnson said. “If I didn’t go through that period I had in 09, I wouldn’t have had the career that I had.
“I went through all that and it made me stronger.”
Johnson would go on to take 37 wickets in the 5-0 whitewash in the 2013/2014 Ashes series, terrorising England when they came to Australia.