Selectors consider tempting Johnson out of retirement

JohnsonStarc - cropped

Australian selector Rodney Marsh considered approaching Mitchell Johnson to try and tempt him out of retirement to replace the injured Mitchell Starc.

Starc suffered a stress fracture in the third metatarsal of his right foot during the third Test with New Zealand in Adelaide and will be sidelined for at least two months, meaning he will miss the upcoming series with West Indies and India's tour early in 2016.

Uncapped Nathan Coulter-Nile will replace the 25-year-old for the first Test against West Indies in Hobart, but Marsh admitted he had been tempted to speak to Johnson – who announced his retirement after the second New Zealand Test in Perth.

"No [I did not make contact with Johnson]," said Marsh. "I thought about it.

"You've got to respect a bloke when he retires. There's a reason he [Johnson] retired and that's because he didn't want to play anymore, so you don't go there.

"It would have been nice, wouldn't it!"

Johnson, 34, ended his international career on November 17, finishing with 590 wickets across all forms of the game, having made 256 appearances.

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