Todd Murphy is still getting used to the extra workload his body has been put through this year during his emergence as a Test bowler, but is hopeful he will be fit for the Prime Minister’s XI game against Pakistan in Canberra next week. Offspinner Murphy has missed Victoria’s last two Sheffield Shield matches due to shoulder soreness but returned to bowling on Wednesday. He made his Test debut against India in Nagpur in February, where he claimed 7 for 124 on the back of just seven first-class matches. He went on to play all four matches in that series before somewhat unexpectedly being needed in the Ashes after Nathan Lyon’s calf injury at Lord’s. He had already shelved a county deal before the Ashes to manage his workloads, but he returned from the UK with some niggles which flared again after four Sheffield Shield outings this season. Murphy hopes to play the BBL with Sydney Sixers through December and January, and then the last four rounds of Sheffield Shield, although that will depend on whether he is selected as back-up in the squad for the New Zealand Test tour. With Lyon having successfully returned from his calf injury, Murphy’s next opportunity may not come until the tour of Sri Lanka in early 2025, but whenever he next gets his chance he feels this year will hold him in good stead. Andrew McGlashan is a deputy editor at ESPNcricinfo.
