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Posted: 2023-08-10 02:00:15

If you've not heard of Australian fast bowler Spencer Johnson yet, you could be forgiven.

The 27-year-old left arm quick has, after all, only played four first-class matches in his career for South Australia, six List A matches and 11 T20s.

But now he's the talk of world cricket after a phenomenal spell of fast bowling at The Oval in the ECB's Hundred competition overnight.

After being named in his first Australia T20 squad at the start of the week, Johnson was parachuted into the Oval Invincibles squad hours before taking the field against the Manchester Originals in London.

He didn't take long to settle.

His first two sets of five balls went for just a leg bye and a single — not bad when T20 World Cup winning skipper Jos Buttler is at the other end.

When he returned for a final set of 10 balls, he took three wickets — spectacularly bowling Tom Hartley and Josh Little with extreme pace in excess of 145kph.

Spencer Johnson bowls

Spencer Johnson went for just one run off the bat in his 20-ball performance at The Oval.(Getty Images: ECB/Alex Davidson)

His final figures of 3-1 off 20 balls are the best in Hundred history.

"It's an absolute blur at the minute," Johnson told Sky Sports after the match.

"To be here in front of these awesome fans, playing at The Oval, it's awesome. I'm pinching myself, really."

Johnson has had a late start to his professional career, but it's not been through lack of trying.

Since making his South Australia one-day debut back in 2017, Johnson has been beset by a serious stress fracture in his foot, limiting him to just three professional appearances over a five-year period.

After finally being able to get his body right, Johnson made his Big Bash debut in last year's competition for the Brisbane Heat after a stint with Redlands Cricket Club.

That saw him make his Sheffield Shield debut for South Australia in February and even earn him a spot in Australia's A tour of New Zealand last year, where he took 4-53 in the first innings of the unofficial Test in Lincoln.

Spencer Johnson screams

Spencer Johnson played for the Brisbane Heat as a death bowler during the Big Bash.(Getty Images: Cricket Australia/Matt King)

Since his belated breakout Australian summer, Johnson has enjoyed a sojourn to North America, playing in for the Surrey Jaguars in the Global T20 Canada competition in Ontario, which came hot on the heels of a stint with the Los Angeles Knight Riders in Major League Cricket.

His performance at The Oval though, has won him a new admirer.

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