IND vs AUS: 5 things you need to know about debutant Todd Murphy, who demolished India

In the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2022-23 in Nagpur, Todd Murphy made his international debut for Australia and took a 7-wicket haul. With this phenomenal bowling performance in his maiden Test, Murphy achieved some incredible feats. During his spectacular spell in the first innings of the game, he trapped big fish such as KL Rahul, Ravichandran Ashwin, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, and KS Bharat.

Last month, Australia men’s cricket team chief selector, George Bailey, showed faith in Murphy while selecting him for the series. In the first match of the competition, the youngster proved his bowling prowess on the turning track of the Vidarbha Cricket Stadium. Before his international Test debut, the Victoria-born cricketer played seven first-class games for his state and claimed 29 wickets in 13 innings of seven matches.

Talking more about Murphy’s journey to international cricket, here are five interesting facts associated with him- 

1. Youngest Australian to bag a five-wicket haul on a Test debut

In the ongoing game, Murphy wrote history as he achieved the rare feat of becoming the youngest Aussie spinner to pick a fifer on a Test debut. Earlier, this record was with George Palmer, who pulled off the record in his debut game against the rivals England in 1882.

So far, he has bowled a spell of 47 overs in the contest, of which he has splurged 124 runs and took seven wickets. As mentioned earlier, the youngster hunted veterans such as Rahul, Pujara, and Kohli and displayed his confidence in the big game.

2. Joined the elite list of international bowlers

After picking a fifer in the colossal contest against India, Murphy has joined the list of distinguished bowlers such as Dennis Lillee, Ian Botham, James Anderson, Brett Lee, and Josh Hazlewood. Like the Baggy Green, these bowlers also befuddled their opponents with their bowling skills and grabbed five-wicket hauls on their Test debuts.

However, unlike his compatriots Lillee, Lee, and Hazlewood, he played his maiden game outside Australia and produced one of the most memorable spells. For him, Nagpur's pitch conditions were completely new but the spunky Aussie showed some courage and trouble the top batters of the hosts.

3. Represented the Under-19 Australia team in the ICC Under-19 World Cup 2020

Muphy was an integral part of the Australia Under-19 World Cup team. Of his team’s six matches in the competition, he got a chance to appear in five. The talented Aussie spinner picked four wickets in all his appearances at a mind-boggling economy of 3.66.

With his fine performance in the competition, Murphy made it to the Australia A squad that toured Sri Lanka in 2022. Later, he also joined the group of some emerging Australian spinners who visited Chennai to refine their bowling skills in the sub-continent pitches.

4. Murphy’s father played with the late Aussie legend Shane Warne

Todd’s father Jamie Murphy was also a cricketer; but, unfortunately, he couldn’t represent the Australian cricket team on the international level. The young gun’s father was also a member of the Victoria Under-19 squad in 1984-85. Unlike Todd, Jamie used to play as a middle-order batter.

In the 1991-92 ST Kilda’s grade cricket championship, Jamie played along with the late Aussie cricketer Shane Warne. Witnessing his son’s incredible performance at the VCA stadium, Todd also drew parallels between his son and the legendary spinner Warne.

However, Todd, who showcased a brilliant bowling display, said that he is not sure that he is anything similar to Warnie. While seeing his father comparing him to the greatest spinner, he also shook his head.

5. Decent bowling record in Big Bash League (BBL)

Before breaking into international cricket, Murphy played a couple of seasons in the Big Bash league. Making his debut in the tournament for Sydney Sixers in the 2021-22 edition, he took only one wicket in three innings of four games, at an economy of 5.11. 

In the 2022-23 edition of the league, he looked excellent with the ball. Clinching eight wickets in six games of the competition at a frugal economy of 6.22, he did his job efficiently for his team. The 22-year-old also took 3/35 figures against Adelaide Strikers in match 45 and contributed to his team’s comprehensive victory.

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