Nathan Lyon limped off on day two of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s after suffering a severe calf strain while fielding that may put him out of the rest of the series. Australia, however, have a readymade backup available for him in Todd Murphy.
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When Lyon’s name was confirmed at the toss for the second Test of the 2023 Ashes, at Lord’s, it made him only the sixth player in history, and the first specialist bowler, to play 100 consecutive Test matches for his team. As fate would have it, he injured himself on day two and walked around in crutches on Day three. Cricket Australia released a statement that his availability for the rest of the series will be assessed after the game.
Losing Lyon for the last three Tests, or for that matter, even a single Test, will be a huge blow, but Australia do not have to go searching for options. In Murphy, they have the ideal, like-for-like replacement for their lead spinner – unlike England.
Who is Todd Murphy?
Murphy, the bespectacled 22-year-old off-spinner from Victoria, made his Test debut earlier in India and impressed instantly. He picked 14 wickets from six innings in his debut series and was the perfect foil to Lyon.
Lyon’s 22 wickets in that series came at 22.36, while Murphy’s 14 came at a comparable 25.21. There were several passages across the four Test matches, where Murphy looked as good, if not better than, the veteran with nearly 500 Test wickets.
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Murphy only made his first-class debut a couple of years back in a Sheffield Shield game for Victoria against South Australia. He returned match figures of 1-127, but climbed up the ranks soon enough. Before that, he had been part of the Australia squad for the 2020 Under-19 World Cup.
Ever since Murphy burst onto the scene in Australia cricket circles as a teenager, he has been looked at as a prospect. Before his Test debut, he had played only seven first-class matches, one of which came for Australia A during their tour of Sri Lanka. Yet, it was his potential more than the returns that made Australia invest in him.
What do the Australians have to say about Murphy?
Chief selector George Bailey had explained why Cricket Australia had backed the youngster: “Todd Murphy has progressed quickly having impressed in domestic cricket and recently with Australia A. With those performances, Todd has emerged as a strong spin option.”
The investment seemed to have paid off on the India tour. Despite his lack of experience in the subcontinent, especially in India, he adapted to the demands of the conditions beautifully and ended up dismissing Virat Kohli four times in the series.
Steve Smith also heaped praise on Murphy when he spoke to the media after day two of the ongoing Lord’s Test: “Todd Murphy is waiting in the wings. He has been bowling beautifully in the nets and bowled really well in India when he got his opportunity as well. So I’d be confident if he came in he’d do a terrific job for us.”
Murphy is the only other spinner in the Australia squad for the first two Ashes Tests. The squad is supposed to be revisited after the second Test match, and Australia may replace Lyon if he is ruled out for the remainder of the series.
Left-arm spinner Matt Kuhnemann played thrice for Durham in this year’s County Championship, and picked up 12 wickets at 22.58. For the county, only Matty Potts has a better average this summer. He may be drafted in.
However, as things stand now, Murphy looks set to make his Ashes debut at Headingley next week. Given how similar he is to Lyon in terms of what he provides, Australia can rest assured.
