Todd Murphy expects fired-up English batters to target him in third Test
Todd Murphy was a revelation in India but the Ashes rookie knows he’s up for a whole new battle as Nathan Lyon’s replacement.
Rookie Australian spinner Todd Murphy fully expects the fired-up English batters to go after him in his Ashes debut where he’ll carry the sole-spinner role for the first time.
Injured star Nathan Lyon has been a sounding board for Murphy, who played in India in a tag team with the veteran and left-armer Matt Kuhnemann but is set to be the main man at Headingley.
The last time Australia played a spinner in England who wasn’t Lyon was in the 2013 Ashes, and given the escalated mood following a hot Lord’s Test, Murphy fully expects to be targeted.
“Think they’ll probably come even harder at me,” Murphy said.
“Obviously, I haven’t played a hell of a lot of Test cricket, there’s a challenge that presents itself. They keep taking the game on and I think it’s about trying to navigate through that, come up with a few different ideas that can help and try to keep creating chances.”
Murphy proved a revelation in his four Tests in India, taking 14 wickets at 25.21 and getting the prized scalp of Virat Kohli four times.
But he has never played a competitive match on English soil after opting out of a county stint with Durham in April and May.
But the Victorian has been in constant chats with Lyon, who has been ruled out of the rest of the series with a serious calf injury, and is hopeful his Indian experience gives him the tools to be effective in England.
“Looking back on India, getting the opportunity to play Test cricket and being exposed to high-level contests only helps and I think I took a lot of confidence from that experience,” he said.
“Trusting that if do get the opportunity, believe in myself that I can be good enough at this level.
“It‘s going to be different outlook for me.
“I had a really good chat with Nath, think it was day four or five of the last Test, and he just said trust what you’ve got, believe in it and don’t go away from it. Don’t expect yourself to do to much. My body’s feeling really good at the moment. I’m confident that the work I’ve put in post-India to get that right, hopefully can hold up.”
Lyon, 35, will be flying home to recover from his calf tear ahead of the home summer.
