Todd Murphy is back in an Australian Test squad and, barring a late rethink, should bowl the first over of spin in the Boxing Day Ashes Test at the MCG. The 25-year-old off-spinner replaces Nathan Lyon, who tore a hamstring during the Adelaide victory and will miss “an extended period” after surgery earlier this week.
Fast bowler Jhye Richardson has also been added. With Pat Cummins resting a sore back, Richardson could make his first Test appearance since 2021. Steven Smith, fully recovered from illness, will stand in as captain.
Those three headlines — Lyon out, Murphy in, Cummins rested — sit at the top of a 15-man squad that otherwise looks familiar. Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Scott Boland are the senior quicks; Lance Morris remains the next cab off the rank. Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne provide the part-time spin back-up that selectors have relied on at home for years.
Why Murphy, and why now?
Murphy’s seven Tests, all overseas, have produced 22 wickets at 28.13. At the MCG he has six Shield wickets at 25.33 for Victoria, modest but encouraging numbers on a ground dominated by seam. Most important, say the selectors, is that his stock ball turns sharply from off to leg, something Lyon has provided for a decade and a half.
Matthew Kuhnemann (left-arm orthodox), Corey Rocchiccioli (tall, lively off-spinner) and leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson were the other realistic options. Kuhnemann’s style has rarely thrived on Australian decks and Swepson has drifted down the list since Karachi 2022. Rocchiccioli, leading wicket-taker among spinners in Shield cricket over the past two seasons, came closest; some inside Western Australia feel he has been unlucky.
Richardson’s window opens
Cummins was never likely to roll the dice on a dodgy back two Tests in a row, especially with a short turnaround to Sydney. Richardson, 29, has taken 11 Shield wickets at 18 this summer and touched 145 kph in bursts. His major hurdle is durability. The selectors may yet prefer the reliability of Boland or Morris, but Richardson’s ability to swing the new ball late keeps him firmly in the conversation.
Smith pulls the strings again
Smith last led Australia in the Lord’s Test of 2023 when Cummins took paternity leave. The stand-in role is familiar, the questions about rhythm less so. Missing Adelaide with a viral illness left Smith “frustrated and bored,” according to team staff, yet he has hit plenty of balls since arriving in Melbourne. A captaincy record of eight wins, four defeats and three draws suggests calm hands on the tiller.
Lyon’s long road back
Lyon turns 38 next month and has never suffered a serious hamstring injury. Medical staff say surgery was the only viable option and expect a three-month rehabilitation. That timeline rules him out of Sydney and the home series against West Indies, and leaves a tight race to prove fitness before the two-Test trip to Sri Lanka in March.
Pitch talk
MCG curator Matt Page expects a surface similar to last month’s Shield strip, where spin mattered late on. “We had a great Shield game here,” Page said. “We obviously had some really challenging weather leading to that. I think the pitch sat under covers for three days.” Lyon and Head both found purchase on day five of the 2023 India Test, and Murphy’s flight-and-drop style is thought to suit those conditions better than Kuhnemann’s flatter trajectory.
What does history say?
If Murphy plays, he will be the first specialist spinner other than Lyon to be picked at home in 14 years. Australia last did so in January 2011 when Michael Beer debuted at the SCG. Selectors have preferred a four-pronged pace attack with part-time spin since Lyon’s emergence; the combination has delivered much success, but Lyon’s absence removes the safety net.
England’s view
England have had two training days at Junction Oval and expect Australia to stick with three frontline quicks plus Murphy. Ben Stokes, asked whether a 23-year-old off-spinner making his home debut changed his planning, smiled: “We’ll have to see what the Aussies turn up with.” That non-committal grin hinted England are more focused on their own anxiety over Jonny Bairstow’s finger.
Selection meeting, then Christmas
George Bailey’s panel will confirm the XI after the final training session on Christmas Eve. Traditionally, Australia name their Boxing Day side 24 hours out, allowing players a peaceful family day. Murphy’s parents are already in Melbourne on standby. Richardson’s family have held off booking flights, a sign that even the player knows nothing is guaranteed.
Short-term and long-term stakes
For Murphy, a solid Boxing Day showing could cement his status as Lyon’s heir apparent. For Richardson, it is a chance to remind the world — and perhaps himself — that he belongs at Test level. And for Australia, two wins from three up in the Ashes, it is an opportunity to close out the series before Sydney, where weather often levels the playing field.
No drama, but plenty of intrigue.
