Todd Murphy, once considered Nathan Lyon’s “heir apparent,” is the best choice to replacement the wounded “Goat” in the Boxing Day Test, especially if Australia wants to keep out and out spin in its bowling attack.
Lyon won’t be playing any more Ashes Tests this summer, heading in for surgery on the hamstring injury he unfortunately picked up while running for a ball at fine leg in the Adelaide clash’s final day.
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It’s a bitter pill to swallow considering Lyon — who’d said he was “filthy” at being left out of the side in Brisbane — hauled in five wickets across two innings in his return.
But, there definitely is a simple answer to who’ll replace him: Murphy. This Sporting Base writer thinks the bespectacled bowler is the best pick, and that’s the word already coming out of the Australian camp this week, too.
The only reason Andrew MacDonald and the Aussies would leave Murphy on the pine at this stage would be because they want to go with an all-pace assault in Melbourne. All-rounder Beau Webster could also be a selection for batting prowess and off-spin, but that’s a lot more unlikely at this stage.
Should Murphy start, it would be the first time he’s played a Test in Australia; he has previously represented the nation in India, England, and Sri Lanka.
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Interestingly, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that sources were in state cricket were still suggesting Murphy is “widely regarded as Lyon’s heir apparent, despite being axed from Cricket Australia’s central contract list” — another good reason why he’s likely to be given a chance on home soil.
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Murphy last replaced Lyon in the starting lineup in the 2023 Ashes over in England. He’s been playing well in Sheffield Shield and has 10 wickets in four matches.
