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Johnson aims to bring zing to Big Bash

Mitchell Johnson says he's ready to get fired up in the Big Bash - and a former Test great is encouraging him to go hard this summer

Australian paceman Mitchell Johnson is adamant he can still get rival batsmen hopping as he prepares for his long-awaited Big Bash League debut for the Perth Scorchers this summer.

Johnson received offers from several other BBL franchises but says the only team he wanted to play for were the Scorchers.

The 34-year-old was unable to play a single BBL fixture over the past five years because of international commitments and he'll enter this summer's edition short of match practice after playing just three IPL games since retiring from the Test arena last November.

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But the two-time ICC cricketer of the year is confident he still has the pace and menace that once made him the best in the world.

"In the IPL, in the nets, I was bowling good pace. The guys were jumping around, which was good," Johnson said on Tuesday.

"As soon as I get a sniff of the bounce, I get pretty fired up.

"I got a text from Mike Hussey just saying, 'Give it to the young blokes, don't give an inch'. So he wants me to go pretty hard as well."

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Johnson is set to become the WACA's cult hero this summer following the shock departure of fan-favourite Brad Hogg to the Melbourne Renegades.

It's a role Johnson is keen to embrace - and he's looking forward to renewing his friendly banter with Hogg.

"I'm not quite his age," Johnson joked of 45-year-old Hogg.

"Every time I come up against him in the IPL, he'd say, 'I'll leave my stumps open, you just aim at the stumps'.

"And I used to say, 'Mate, I can't hit the stumps, I'm following wherever you go'.

"It's a little bit disappointing he's gone but it's a business."

Scorchers coach Justin Langer played a key role in convincing Johnson to play in the BBL this summer.

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He's urging Johnson to have fun and enjoy his stint.

Johnson's other role will be to mentor the side's younger bowlers, including Joel Paris and Jason Behrendorff, as he sets his sights on a coaching career.

The left-arm quick has only signed a one-season deal but left the door ajar to play on beyond that.

"A lot of the guys talk about how entertaining it is and how much fun they have playing it," Johnson said.

"So you never know. I might actually really enjoy it and want to play a bit more."

Current BBL|06 Squads

Adelaide Strikers: Travis Head, Brad Hodge, Jon Holland, Hamish Kingston, Tim Ludeman,  Kieron Pollard, Adil Rashid, Kane Richardson, Craig Simmons, Kelvin Smith, Billy Stanlake.

Brisbane Heat: Samuel Badree, Joe Burns, Ben Cutting, Alex Doolan, Andrew Fekete, Luke Feldman, Jason Floros, Sam Heazlett, Josh Lalor, Chris Lynn, Brendon McCullum, James Peirson, Nathan Reardon, Alex Ross, Mark Steketee, Mitchell Swepson, Jack Wildermuth.

Hobart Hurricanes: George Bailey, Cameron Boyce, Dan Christian, Ben Dunk, Ben McDermott, Dominic Michael, Simon Milenko, Tim Paine, Sam Rainbird, Jake Reed, Clive Rose, Kumar Sangakkara, Shaun Tait, Jonathan Wells.

Melbourne Renegades: Dwyane Bravo, Tom Cooper, Xavier Doherty, Callum Ferguson, Aaron Finch, Marcus Harris, Brad Hogg, James Pattinson, Nathan Rimmington, Peter Siddle, Chris Tremain, Matthew Wade, Cameron White, Nick Winter.

Melbourne Stars: Michael Beer, Scott Boland, James Faulkner, Sebastian Gotch, Evan Gulbis, Peter Handscomb, Sam Harper, John Hastings, Ben Hilfenhaus, David Hussey, Glenn Maxwell, Kevin Pietersen, Rob Quiney, Marcus Stoinis, Tom Triffitt, Daniel Worrall, Luke Wright, Adam Zampa.

Perth Scorchers: Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Mitchell Johnson, Michael Klinger, James Muirhead, Joel Paris, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Sam Whiteman.

Sydney Sixers: Sean Abbott, Jackson Bird, Johan Botha, Ryan Carters, Ben Dwarshuis, Brad Haddin, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Nathan Lyon, Nic Maddinson, Stephen O'Keefe, Jordan Silk, Mitchell Starc.

Sydney Thunder: Fawad Ahmed, Aiden Blizzard, Patrick Cummins, Jake Doran, Ryan Gibson, Chris Green, Usman Khawaja, Alister McDermott, Clint McKay, Kurtis Patterson, Ben Rohrer, Gurinder Sandhu, Shane Watson.