Off the back of a solid stretch of play, the 24-year-old off-spinner was called back into the Australian Test squad for the fifth and final match of the Border-Gavaskar trophy in Sydney.
While he was no real chance to play in the match, he, alongside fellow off-spinner Matthew Kuhnemann and Victorian teammate Peter Handscomb, were brought in to be around the group before Australia’s two-match series against Sri Lanka.
Clearly, this decision was in preparation to name the trio in the squad for the away series. All three are known to thrive in sub-continental conditions, yet the latter was the only one left out of the travelling side.
On Thursday, January 9, Murphy was officially confirmed to have a seat on the plane to Sri Lanka, with the series beginning in Galle on January 29.
The freshly announced travelling squad features a slew of young and emerging talent to revitalise an ageing squad, with players such as Sam Konstas (19), Cooper Connolly (21), Murphy (24), Nathan McSweeney (25), Kuhnemann (28) and Josh Inglis (29) in their touring party.
Notably, Murphy’s 7-124 on debut in the first test at Nagapur of Australia’s tour of India in 2023 rocketed him to the top of the list of potential heirs to Nathan Lyon’s throne, with the legendary tweaker now in the twilight of his career.
If picked for the first match, it would be Murphy’s seventh time representing his country in just two years, and the third series he has participated in, all of which have been away from home.
The recall to the baggy green comes off the back of a productive season for Murphy, who has represented Victoria in five Sheffield Shield games and five Big Bash League matches for the Sydney Sixers.
Across the 2024-25 Sheffield Shield season, Murphy has taken 14 wickets at an average of 31.07 and has contributed above his standing as a number 10 or 11 batsman, averaging 18.00.
His best bowling figures came in the first innings against Western Australia, taking 4-37, and his highest score with the bat was against NSW, tallying 36.
The Moama maestro has also donned the magenta shirt for the Sixers on five occasions in BBL14, taking four wickets thus far at an average of 23.25, with his best bowling being 2-25, and has only been required to bat once, scoring 14.
Australian Test squad for tour of Sri Lanka
Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Travis Head (vc), Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Nathan McSweeney, Todd Murphy, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster
23°C