How Poms failed \u2018biggest series of our lives\u2019 <\/a><\/p>\nAus v England: Day 5, Test 3 Highlights | 15:54<\/p>\n
TODD MURPHY<\/p>\n
Test record: Seven matches, 22 wickets at 28.13<\/p>\n
FC record: 44 matches, 119 wickets at 34.87<\/p>\n
When Lyon damaged his calf during the 2023 Ashes, the veteran tweaker was replaced by spectacled spinner Todd Murphy for the remainder of the series, taking seven wickets at 25.85. <\/p>\n
The Victorian, a like-for-like replacement for Lyon, has bowled commendably during recent Tests tour of the subcontinent, taking a seven-wicket haul on debut against India in Nagpur.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s very similar to Nathan Lyon, although he\u2019s more of a faster-paced bowler,\u201d former Australian batter Mark Waugh said of Murphy on Fox Cricket.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s more of a flatter spinner.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Echuca product isn\u2019t a huge turner of the ball in Australian conditions, but he thrives on consistency and subtle variation, while he\u2019s a handy lower-order batter and leader within Victoria\u2019s state set-up.<\/p>\n
However, during this year\u2019s Warne\u2013Muralitharan Trophy campaign in Sri Lanka, Murphy was dropped for the second Test in Galle following an underwhelming performance in the series opener, cut from Cricket Australia\u2019s contract list soon after.<\/p>\n
The 25-year-old is still considered by many to be Lyon\u2019s heir apparent, earning selection for multiple Australia A tours this year. He has bowled commendably in this year\u2019s Sheffield Shield, taking ten cheap wickets across four matches to help Victoria seal top spot on the standings ahead of the Big Bash break.<\/p>\n
Todd Murphy of Australia A. Photo by Albert Perez\/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images<\/p>\n
MATTHEW KUHNEMANN<\/p>\n
Test record: Five matches, 25 wickets at 22.20<\/p>\n
FC record: 33 matches, 107 wickets at 29.95<\/p>\n
Matthew Kuhenmann, who received a Cricket Australia contract this season,would be an automatic selection for Tests in Asia, having performed superbly during recent tours of India and Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n
The skiddy left-armer, who had his bowling action tested by the ICC at the start of the year, is a weapon on the subcontinent\u2019s dry surfaces, while he was the leading wicket-taker of this year\u2019s Warne\u2013Muralitharan Trophy series. Utlising the deck\u2019s natural variation, he created headaches from right-handed batters by threatening both edges of the bat.<\/p>\n
Kuhnemann was Lyon\u2019s substitute for this year\u2019s World Test Championship final and Caribbean tour against the West Indies \u2014 which in some respects makes him the incumbent \u2014 while he featured in the recent white-ball series against India.<\/p>\n
However, Kuhnemann is not as effective on Australia\u2019s bouncy decks \u2014 he was forced to migrate to Tasmania last year after Queensland refused to pick him in the Sheffield Shield, preferring the services of leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson.<\/p>\n
During this season\u2019s Sheffield Shield, the 29-year-old has taken four wickets at 36.00 across two matches, numbers that hardly warrant a Test call-up.<\/p>\n
Matt Kuhnemann of Tasmania. Photo by Steve Bell\/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images<\/p>\n
COREY ROCCHICCIOLI<\/p>\n
FC record: 48 matches, 161 wickets at 30.68<\/p>\n
The uncapped Corey Rocchiccioli has been the most prolific spinner in the Sheffield Shield over the last three summers, becoming a strike weapon for Western Australia in the red-ball competition.<\/p>\n
The 28-year-old\u2019s record is arguably more impressive considering he has consistently taken wickets on pace-friendly decks at the WACA, often finding more turn than his counterparts in Australian conditions.<\/p>\n
National selectors have taken notice of the University of WA product, picking him for multiple Australia A series, including the recent tour of India, while he has started this summer\u2019s Sheffield Shield with 20 scalps at 28.20 across six matches.<\/p>\n
Elsewhere, Rocchiccioli snared two five-wicket hauls in four matches for Warwickshire in the County Championship this winter, proving he has the skillset to perform in a variety of conditions.<\/p>\n
Initially earmarked as a candidate for the 2027 Border-Gavaskar Trophy campaign in India, Rocchiccioli\u2019s red-hot form puts him in the frame for a shock Ashes debut this week.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s probably one guy that\u2019s snuck under the radar,\u201d Waugh said of Rocchiccioli.<\/p>\n
\u201cGets a bit of bounce, big tall guy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Former Australian fast bowler Brett Lee added: \u201cAre they going to pick someone that\u2019s not going to be overawes by the situation, a Boxing Day Test, massive moment, or do they go with Rocchiccioli and pick someone on form?\u201d<\/p>\n
Corey Rocchiccioli of Western Australia. Photo by Paul Kane\/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images<\/p>\n
MITCHELL SWEPSON<\/p>\n
Test record: Four matches, ten wickets at 45.80<\/p>\n
FC record: 94 matches, 279 wickets at 36.90<\/p>\n
Currently the leading wicket-taker among spinners in this season\u2019s Sheffield Shield, Mitchell Swepson is in some regards a forgotten name in Australian cricket.<\/p>\n
He served as Nathan Lyon\u2019s unused accomplice for multiple Test tours before finally earning a coveted baggy green in 2022, playing four matches against Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the subcontinent.<\/p>\n
However, the crafty Queenslander gradually fell out of favour with the national selectors, who preferred what finger spinners provided in Asia.<\/p>\n
Swepson has a wealth of red-ball experience under his belt, while he would be at the front of the queue if national selectors wanted to pick a genuine leg-spinner at home for the first time since Brag Hogg in 2008.<\/p>\n
Recently, the 32-year-old produced a match-winning performance during October\u2019s Sheffield Shield clash against reigning champions South Australia, taking ten wickets at Adelaide Oval.<\/p>\n
Mitch Swepson of Queensland. Photo by Matt King\/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images<\/p>\n
THE OUTSIDERS<\/p>\n
Having made his Test debut in Sri Lanka earlier this year, West Australian young gun Cooper Connolly could be a smokey for the MCG Test if the hosts felt they needed to bolster their batting depth.<\/p>\n
The 22-year-old had a disappointing debut in February, scoring 4 and failing to unearth a wicket, but his recent white-ball form has been impressive, snapped up in last week\u2019s Indian Premier League Auction for AU$497,000.<\/p>\n
New South Wales leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha has already earned international experience in the white-ball formats, but he hasn\u2019t nailed his chances at first-class level, averaging 38.29 with the ball after 17 matches.<\/p>\n
All-rounder Ben Manenti helped South Australia win a drought-breaking Sheffield Shield title last summer, but he\u2019d be a long way down the pecking order.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nathan Lyon\u2019s Ashes series has once again been derailed by a leg injury, with the veteran spinner at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":363104,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[564],"tags":[64,63,740,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-363103","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cricket","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-cricket","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/363103","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=363103"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/363103\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/363104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=363103"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=363103"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=363103"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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