Centre of it all: Todd Murphy could play a key role in Australia’s Tour of England, which begins with the World Test Championship final on June 7. Photo: AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool
Today, Todd Murphy boards a plane to England to write what could be another historic chapter in his young Test cricket career.
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Two months after announcing himself in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the 22-year-old is bound for The Oval as Australia prepares for the World Test Championship final against India.
Murphy is one of two front-line spinners picked for the Tour of England alongside mentor Nathan Lyon, with the final set to be followed five days later by the Ashes as Australia seeks to claim its first series in England since 2001.
But en route to a training session in St Kilda on Wednesday in the calm before the storm, Murphy had the opportunity to reflect on a whirlwind six months.
“It’s been pretty crazy; things have happened a lot faster than I would have thought they possibly could,” Murphy told the Riverine Herald.
“It’s been hard at times to realise what’s been going on, and when you’re caught up in it you probably don’t get a chance to reflect on what’s happening.
“But I think over the last couple of months when things have cooled down a bit, just reflecting on what the last half-year has meant to me has been amazing.
“I think the biggest thing I’ve taken away from it is a bit of confidence, that at that level I’m going to be good enough to compete and make sure I’m doing all the right things to give myself the best chance to keep being around that environment.”
Added to the Test squad at the start of 2023 after impressing in the Sheffield Shield and Prime Minister’s XI, Murphy admits his expectation ahead of the tour of India was to simply learn from his squad-mates and gain experience.
But what greeted him was a shock first-up debut in Nagpur, and baggy green #465.
Big haul: Todd Murphy holds the ball aloft after claiming seven wickets on debut in Nagpur, India, as Steve Smith applauds. Photo: AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool
“Going over there, I didn’t have much expectation around what that tour would look like for me,” he said.
“I didn’t think that I’d be given the opportunity to play across the course of the series, and definitely not in the first game of the series.
“I was just excited for the opportunity to be around the group and experience an international tour with the Australian team.
“Leading into the (Nagpur) Test match I probably didn’t think too much about how big the series was going to be. Then I found out I was a chance of playing, and when I was named, it hit me what was about to happen.”
A seven-wicket haul on debut and dismissing Indian legend Virat Kohli three times were some of Murphy’s headline acts across the four-Test series, but it was another two moments he remembers fondly.
“The cap presentation on the morning of day one, that’s the first time you realise you’re going to be a Test cricketer, and know that whatever happens from then on that nothing’s ever going to take that away from you,” Murphy said.
“To have it presented by Nathan Lyon, who’s been a guy that’s so giving of his time to me and been able to help me develop so much over the last few years, was really special.
“Another massive highlight for me was when we won the game at Indore (Australia defeated India by nine wickets) and getting to celebrate with the boys in the change rooms and sing the song after an international win.
“It’s belted out with a bit of passion which is great.”
Since the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar series, Murphy has earned a central contract with Australia and assumed the mantle as Victoria’s number one spin option, earning the tag as heir apparent to Nathan Lyon.
When he returned to Moama over the Easter holidays, he did so as a fully-fledged member of the Australian cricketing setup.
“I got home for Easter and it was really nice to get back and see family and friends,” Murphy said.
“It’s always good to get back home and escape the city a bit.
“That’s the special part of a country community, how happy people are when people are doing well.
“It’s been nice over the course of not just the last couple of months but probably the last year or two with people being happy for me and what’s played out.
“A lot of people come up to me and I suppose it’s always nice to see a familiar face on the screen and doing well.”
The young spinner is unsure what the Aussie game-plan holds for him if he his picked in the starting XI in England but is nonetheless ready to go if required.
Where it all began: Todd Murphy in his playing days for Moama.
Photo by
Jayme Lowndes
“I’m really excited by it, I think it’s a massive opportunity for us as a group to go over there and really make our mark,” Murphy said.
“It’s a great opportunity to play in a World Test Championship and I think for the group that would cap off a good last couple of years if we’re able to win that.
“And then leading into the Ashes it’s been played up a bit that England are pretty confident with the way they’ve been playing and are going to pose a few challenges with the way they go about their cricket.
“For me, I’m not 100 per cent sure what it looks like from a game sense point of view, but I’m excited just to go over there and be around the environment again, continue to get better and work with guys like Nathan Lyon and Dan Vettori and just keep developing the skillset.”
Australia will battle India for the honour of World Test Championship when the two countries meet at The Oval from June 7-11.
The Ashes commences at Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham on June 16.
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