A naturally-gifted allrounder, Neil Johnson made a strong impression during his short international career, particularly during the 1999 World Cup when he won three Man-of-the-Match awards. An aggressive, strokeplaying left-hander who opened in the one-day games and batted in the middle order in Tests, he was also an attacking seamer with the ability to move the ball away from the right-hander. His one weakness was his tendency to bowl too many four-balls. Possibly because he was so laid-back, Johnson did not get on with former Zimbabwean coach Dave Houghton. Alienated by low pay offers from the Zimbabwe Cricket Union, Johnson, whose wife did not care for Harare anyway, returned to South Africa (where he had emigrated with his parents as a boy) after the 2000 tour of England. A nomadic cricketer, Johnson has earned a crust with Natal, Western Province, Leicestershire and, in 2001, Hampshire.
Geoffrey Dean