Cardiff (Wales), July 6 : Australia's left arm fast bowler Mitchell Johnson has said that he intends to maintain the tradition of intimidation and creating fear in the opposition when the Ashes series commences.

England''s batsmen need only ask South African skipper Graeme Smith about the danger of facing Johnson.

During Australia''s 2-1 series victory earlier this year, Johnson produced a terrifying spell on a spicy pitch in Durban, during which he broke Smith''s hand for the second time in three Tests.

Johnson said: "You don''t really want to see batsmen with major injuries but you want to get their wickets. That''s the big goal. So to put a batsman out of the game helps us.

"There is a little bit of satisfaction, I suppose, in forcing a batsman to retire hurt because the opposition lose one of their batters. I think Graeme Smith came out and said the sort of injuries he sustained were hazards of the job," he added.

"That''s what being a fast bowler is all about - you need to intimidate the guy at the other end. That was definitely one of my plans in South Africa - to really get into their batsmen and show them we were serious about what we were doing. You want batsmen to feel very uncomfortable," he said.

Early in his career, Johnson was described by legendary former Aussie quickie Dennis Lillee as a ''once-in-a-generation bowler.''

He initially struggled to justify such lavish praise but, during the winter of 2008-09, he captured 60 wickets in 12 Tests as well as scoring his maiden century for Australia and an unbeaten 96. (ANI)