The calls are growing louder for Todd Murphy to be picked for next year’s tour of India, with Sixers teammate Steve O’Keefe describing him as the best off-spinner to emerge since Nathan Lyon.
It’s a huge call for a 22-year-old who has played just seven first class matches, but Murphy has already shown that he has the skills to deliver on the international stage.
The youngster took four wickets for Australia A while playing in Sri Lanka, he bowled beautifully for the Prime Minister’s XI against the West Indies and then bowled Victoria to Shield victory on the final day against NSW like all good spinners should.
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It’s why O’Keefe wants national selectors to go with Lyon and Murphy, as well as Ashton Agar and Mitch Swepson, for next year’s tour in spin-friendly conditions.
“There’s been a lot of talk about Todd Murphy, but I genuinely think he’s Nathan Lyon’s future replacement,” said O’Keefe, who played nine Tests for Australia.
“I think he’s the best off-spinner I’ve seen come through since Nathan.
“It’s a big call, but I stand by it and I think I’ll be proven right over the next 12 months.
“There are some tours coming up and I think he’ll get his opportunity with the Sixers and I think he’ll get his chance with Australia. If it’s not next year, then it’ll be in the next couple of years.”
O’Keefe’s comments come just days after former Test batter Nic Maddinson said Murphy wasn’t a bolter and that he thoroughly deserved a spot on the plane to India.
“It’s always nice to have the backing of people you play with. To hear that means you’re doing the right thing and it gives you reassurance that what you’re doing is working,” Murphy told the NCA NewsWire.
“It’s really nice to be spoken about because it means people are taking notice of what I’m doing. But I don’t try to read too much into it because I know things can change quite quickly, so I’m trying not to get comfortable with where I’m at.”
The amazing thing about Murphy’s meteoric rise is that he only started bowling spin when he was 16 when he realised his medium pace was “mediocre at best”.
“It was the best thing I’ve ever done,” he said.
“It’s all happened quite fast. I was reflecting on it the other day, and I think this time last year I’d only played one first class game and I didn’t have a BBL deal.
“I felt like I wasn’t near the mark for a lot of things, but the last 12 months with the Sixers and then Victoria has helped me evolve.”
He’s now a key cog for the Sixers and has a big chance to impress selectors in the BBL before the Test squad is announced, with his height and bounce a major advantage compared with his rivals.
“It definitely wasn’t in my mind at the start of the year,” he replied when asked if the India tour was a goal of his.
“I was just hoping to play some cricket for Victoria. Even now, I’m just trying to cement my spot with Victoria. India for me is something I’d love to do because it’d be so beneficial, but if it doesn’t happen then that’s OK.
“I’d like to think that I’m ready and that my skills could stand up at the next level, but in saying that, I don’t really know if I am ready for a tour like that because I haven’t proven it consistently at that level.”
