Australian war hero Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith gave Mitchell Johnson a day in the life of an SAS soldier and taught him a life lesson that has helped transform the once fragile paceman into the man who is playing a key role in wresting back the urn from England.
Johnson and Corporal Roberts-Smith, a recipient of the Victoria Cross, met last year when the left-armer's career was at the crossroads, his confidence shattered after a spate of poor form, injury and criticism from the media.
But Johnson emerged a new man after being told by Corporal Roberts-Smith he needed to prioritise what was important and shut out the negative press he was receiving.
While Corporal Roberts-Smith does not like comparing war and sport, he reinforced to Johnson about how in the army there was no excuse for not getting the job done.
''You find a way no matter what it takes because in our line of work complacency or lack of desire can lead to loss of life,'' Corporal Roberts-Smith said. ''When we put it in those terms and he and I spoke along those lines it became clear to him what lengths we will go to by way of training and development to achieve our outcome.''
Corporal Roberts-Smith even took Johnson to his training barracks where he was given experience of life in the army.
''I took him out on the range, we had him fast-roping out of helicopters, blowing doors in and shooting and giving him a bit of a day in the life of an SAS soldier,'' he said.
Asked how accurate Johnson's aim was, Corporal Roberts-Smith said: ''He shoots as well as he bowls at the moment, so he's not too bad.''
While the marked difference in Johnson's confidence in the past 18 months has been noted by Australian team officials, Corporal Roberts-Smith could sense the native Queenslander's drive even when he was down in the dumps.
''You can never compare war and sport, I've always said that, but what you compare is the dedication and passion which people play the game,'' Corporal Roberts-Smith said. ''To me that's what Anzac spirit is. I look at it with what you're prepared to do on the field is the same as when we go into battle. War and sport are not the same but how you conduct yourself in those arenas certainly is and that comes down to what sort of person you are.
''He's a guy who clearly understood what he wanted to achieve. He had a bad time - a lot of people would have packed it in and given up.
''If you really want to achieve something, when things are wrong, when you think like you're not going to get out of a situation, that's when we need people to stand up.
''That's the calibre of the men I work with. He got that. That reaffirmed in him the way he was before he got into his low was where he wanted to be again.''
Corporal Roberts-Smith doesn't want to take credit for Johnson's revival, deflecting kudos to the player's wife, Jessica. ''If people get complacent [in my work] they get killed - that's our reality,'' Corporal Roberts-Smith said. ''If you want to get back into cricket it's a much easier road and you've got all the attributes to pull that off.''
