Absent duo to be pushed by able replacements

It was a common observation ahead of Australia's bid to win an away Ashes campaign that their boasting of a world-class spinner and an allrounder tipped to one day be of the same quality could well be the difference in the series.

In Nathan Lyon and Cameron Green, the tourists had two bases covered that England did not.

An eleventh-hour injury to Jack Leach left the hosts without a bankable spinner, while concerns over Ben Stokes' knee proved well-founded as he sent down just 29 overs across the five Tests, and none in the final three, forcing his side to be reshaped around him.

It was no coincidence then that Australia's ceding of those two advantages after Lord's, where Lyon suffered a series-ending knee injury and Green a hamstring complaint amid a form slump that cost him his spot in the team for the final match, had a major bearing on the outcome.

Pat Cummins' men were beaten in two of the final three Tests, while only Manchester's rain stopped them from becoming the first team in 87 years to lose an Ashes series after being 2-0 up.

So as Australia look ahead to their next Test encounter four-and-a-half months away, the futures of Lyon and Green once again appear intrinsically tied to their own fortunes, despite only one of the pair having a guaranteed spot in the XI when the Aussies take to the field against Pakistan at Perth Stadium on December 14.

In fact, the performances of both Lyon and Green's respective replacements were of great encouragement.

Todd Murphy finished with seven wickets at 25.85 for the series, showing enough composure and improvement after each spell to suggest he could also have made a difference at Old Trafford when the spinner-less Aussie attack lost control of England.

The 22-year-old has truly made a remarkable start to his international career.

His first seven Tests have been against the format's two top-ranked teams outside of Australia, both on their home turf.

Of his 21 victims (at 25.42), only four have been tail-enders, and among which are now an enviable list of names; Virat Kohli (who he got out four times), Ravindra Jadeja (three times), Ben Stokes and Chesteshwar Pujara (both twice), and Joe Root (once).

His contributions with the bat at The Oval (34 and 18, including a first-innings partnership of 49 with Cummins that kept Australia in the game) also showed he will be a more-than-useful lower-order option down the track.

Lyon will be welcomed back once he recovers from his calf injury and Australia will be desperate to squeeze as many more Tests out of the 36-year-old as he can manage. But there is now no question they have a replacement who has a fighting chance of becoming as effective as his mentor in time.

"I think we've got a really good platform in Shield cricket. He'll go back there, be an integral part for Victoria and wait for his next opportunity," coach Andrew McDonald said of Murphy.

"Nathan's a key part of our make-up and some suggest that was another small turning point in the series when we did lose Nathan, and I probably agree with that to some sense.

"But Todd, the way he played here just showed he's one for the future and I suppose the big question around who's going to replace Nathan Lyon, I think that one's been answered in all conditions for mine.

"I thought it was a really positive step forward in the two games Todd played here."

There is however less certainty around the situation with Green and Marsh.

Green, the 24-year-old incumbent going into the series, had high expectations placed on him. A maiden Test hundred in Ahmedabad in March had been flagged as a breakthrough moment, while he handled the hype of the biggest T20 contract ever handed to an Australian with a tremendous Indian Premier League campaign in which he averaged over 50 and held a strike-rate above 160.

Returns of 134 runs at 19.14 and seven wickets at 41 across the UK tour's six Tests (notwithstanding several gully catches that have confirmed his status as the game's best fielder in that position) meant he was dispensable when Australia had to choose between him and Marsh at The Oval.

Marsh's comeback century at Headingley was arguably the finest individual performance by an Australian all tour.

But while his skilful swing bowling accounted for England's leading run scorer Zac Crawley twice in that third Test, the 31-year-old was down on pace by the final Test and was left too sore to bowl at one point in Manchester.

Australia's medical staff would not likely not have been surprised given Marsh was asked to play as many first-class matches in three-and-a-half weeks as what he had played in the previous 44 months.

The potential of Green becoming a legitimate top-five batter means the pair could again play alongside each other.

"Mitch Marsh took his opportunity at the right time," said McDonald. "And the way he played, he put immense pressure on the opposition bowling.

"Cameron Green is an integral part of Australian cricket moving forward, so we have some decisions to make during the home summer.

"Can they fit in the same team?

"We've done that once before, albeit that we left a spinner out, but we see both having big futures in all three formats for Australian cricket.

"So I think now is not the time to put a line through one and support the other."

2023 Qantas Ashes Tour of the UK

First Test: Australia won by two wickets

Second Test: Australia won by 43 runs

Third Test: England won by three wickets

Fourth Test: Match drawn

Fifth Test: England won by 49 runs

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Todd Murphy, Michael Neser, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, David Warner

England squad: Ben Stokes (c), Rehan Ahmed, James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood