I’M remembered for many things by cricket fans around the world but in New Zealand, they have one main memory of me.

I’m ‘the guy who headbutted Scott Styris’. It wasn’t really a headbutt but more on that later.

It was during a tense one-dayer in Napier back in 2010. Things had already started to get pretty heated but it went up a notch after Scott and I had our little run-in.

I was bowling with Scott on strike and as I was walking back to my mark, I looked at Hadds (Brad Haddin) and pointed to my head, indicating that I’d bowl a bouncer.

That’s what I tried but it wasn’t so effective, as Scott hit me for four. As he ran past me, I got a little nudge in the back. I didn’t like that too much so I got up into his grill – literally.

New Zealand’s Scott Styris and Australia’s Mitchell Johnson clash in 2010. Source: Supplied

It was claimed that I headbutted him but that wasn’t quite the case. I’m not silly enough to headbutt someone who’s wearing a helmet!

It didn’t take long for us to be separated and afterwards Hadds told me that he had to get me out of there because he could see my eyes spinning.

I’ve seen Scott here and there over the past few years and I’m happy to say we’re on good terms now.

Those sorts of things should stay on the field and that’s certainly the case with Scott and I. He’s a great guy. Looking back on it, it was probably a touch over the top and not a great look but I don’t regret what I did.

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DEALING WITH THE KIWI CROWDS

It certainly meant that I was public enemy No.1 in New Zealand for a little while, although the Kiwis had already been getting stuck into me before that.

The abuse we copped from the crowds is one of the main things I remember from touring New Zealand.

On one occasion I was called a ‘wife beater’, which was obviously by someone who didn’t know my wife. If they did, they’d know she is a black belt in karate and would probably beat me up!

I was once booed by the whole crowd during a game in Auckland and of course, after my incident with Styris, the crowd got stuck into me in Napier – especially after I kissed the Australian badge on my shirt.

New Zealand is a hard place to play because on their small grounds, the crowd feels like it’s right on top of you. It’s fine if you can handle what’s being thrown at you, and I had already been well conditioned by what I had to deal with in England in 2009.

That said, interactions with fans in those two countries are a little bit different. Kiwis have got a different sense of humour to the English crowds.

New Zealanders are pretty blunt and straight to the point, whereas the Poms prefer to hide their message within a fun song so it doesn’t sound as harsh.

Mitchell Johnson played 12 matches in New Zealand for Australia. Source: Getty Images

NEW LAWS A BAD IDEA

Telling the story of the Styris incident reminds me that I recently read about the MCC, who are the custodians of cricket’s laws, trialling a system that punishes bad on-field behaviour with new punishments ranging from a five-run penalty to a player getting sent off.

I think it’s a bad idea.

If laws like that are introduced across all cricket, it will probably prevent people from being interesting characters out in the middle.

The last couple of years, I probably started to enjoy the game less because the umpires were getting involved a little bit too much in situations that weren’t that bad to begin with. As soon as I stared at a batsman the umpires would come rushing in.

People want to see a bit of fire in the belly as long as it doesn’t go overboard. It’s always been part of the game – it was part of Dennis Lillee’s game and it worked pretty well for him.

I learned that was part of the game when I was starting out in Queensland. You learned how to deal with it and don’t take things to heart.

Billy Bowden gives Glenn McGrath a mock red card for attempting to bowl underarm. Source: AFP

TIME TO FIX NO-BALL ISSUE

You might have seen what I had to say on Twitter about the incorrect no-ball call that gave Adam Voges a life when he was on 7 in the first Test against New Zealand.

It worked out pretty well for Vogesy and I’m really happy for him but as a bowler, I can tell you it’s very annoying when I see that stuff happen.

Bowlers are checked for a no-ball almost every time they take a wicket, so it’s a bit strange that it can’t work the other way. Surely the third umpire could intervene?

In my mind, we need to decide if we want to use technology properly or not use it at all. To be honest, I’d be happy if they left everything to the on-field umpires.

I’m happy to have no DRS – cricket worked pretty well without it for over 100 years. I tend to agree with India’s perspective on the DRS debate – it’s either got to be spot on, or not used at all.

If we can make sure that technology is used to get the right decision every time, then that’s great. But until then, I’m not so sure.

Doug Bracewell was incorrectly called for a no-ball when he bowled Adam Voges in the first Test. Source: Getty Images

MY CRICKETING DAYS AREN’T OVER YET

People have asked me what I’ve done since I retired and to be honest, there were about seven weeks when I did a whole lot of nothing. I just enjoyed myself, had a few beers and let myself relax a bit. But come Christmas time, I got back into training.

I went to The Mill, which is the gym that helped me come back from my injuries a few years ago. I also got my own gym installed at home, so now I don’t have an excuse not to do anything.

Just this week, I shook off the cobwebs by having a bowl in the nets and I was pleased to discover that I still had the competitive edge in me. I’ll start doing more of that as I prepare for the Indian Premier League but for the most part, it’s just been weights and fitness training.

What I’ve been doing hasn’t been based around cricket specifically, it’s more just about seeing how hard I can push myself. I have actually bulked up since I retired – I now tip the scales at over 100 kilograms. My first century in a while!

I’ll get into more bowling over the coming weeks but seeing as I haven’t played any cricket for a while, I’m really just testing the waters at the moment. In Twenty20 you only need to bowl four overs per match, so I figure as long as I’m fit and strong, then the bowling side of things will be fine.