Recalled Test spinner Matt Kuhnemann faced a dilemma at the end of the last Sheffield Shield season – stay in Queensland and fight for his place, or seek greener pastures out of his comfort zone.
He chose the latter.
The move to Tasmania not only saved his Test career, but gave him the chance to prove he is the long-term successor to Australian great Nathan Lyon.
Matt Kuhnemann is in line to play his first Test since early 2023.Credit: Getty Images
Kuhnemann’s journey was one of sacrifice and risk, leaving his family behind – with his prized Baggy Green remaining in his parents’ safe – and calling a traditionally seamers-friendly wicket his new hunting ground.
The 28-year-old was stuck behind four-Test leg-spinner Mitch Swepson in Queensland, and finished the 2023-24 summer without a Sheffield Shield appearance.
It left his hopes of an international call up for the forthcoming tour to Sri Lanka in tatters; his maiden five-wicket haul in India in 2023 a distant memory if he could not continue honing his craft.
“I sacrificed a little bit moving down to Tasmania, and I’m very grateful to Tasmania for giving me the opportunity,” Kuhnemann said.
“It’s funny how cricket works out, if you asked me a few years ago I’d be down in Tasmania and then going away with an Australian tour to Sri Lanka I would’ve been chuffed.
“It’s all part of the journey. Any time you get the opportunity to tour with the Australian team is something you cherish forever.”
Matt Kuhnemann
Kuhnemann’s task was to make Tasmania conditions work in his favour. Last season, spinners claimed just 16 wickets from five clashes at an average of 44.63 and strike rate of 91 in Hobart.
From two contests at the venue, Kuhnemann has taken nine scalps – averaging 22 and striking at 58 – to stand as the leader wicket-taker among spinners (18) while bowling more overs (241) than any player in the 2024-25 campaign.
His success in challenging conditions will serve as ideal preparation to not only thrive in the subcontinent, but edge ahead in the three-way race to one day succeed Lyon as Australia’s frontline tweaker.
Victorian off-spinner Todd Murphy has largely been regarded as that man – four years Kuhnemann’s junior, who featured in the last Ashes and took match figures of 6-132 in the final Test.
Corey Rocchiccioli is another contender, impressing selectors from Perth’s fast bowling-dominant conditions.
Murphy will join Kuhnemann and Lyon, who reportedly intends to play beyond next summer, in Sri Lanka. However, the fact he turns the ball the same way as Lyon could work against him as Australia look to deploy at least two spinners in the spin-friendly conditions.
The left-arm delivery gives Kuhnemann a point of difference, although the shock selection of West Australian rookie Cooper Connolly – who bowls the same style, while predominantly a batsman – could prove an obstacle.
But Kuhnemann declared he would lean on his three Tests in India to push his case, and was adamant he and Connolly could coexist in the same side.
“We offer different types of bowling – obviously we’re both left arm orthodox bowlers, but … I probably got a bit squarer [of the wicket],” Kuhnemann said.
“There are a lot of technical things I can take from my first trip to India, but more so it’s off the field dealing with the pressure of the crowd and the expectations.
“The main one was just doing my role and not overdoing it, you get some conditions that suit you so it’s just about being as accurate as possible. I’m really happy with how the ball’s coming out and my game as a whole.”
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