Selectors are awaiting further advice on Matt Kuhnemann's availability for Sri Lanka after he injured his thumb in the BBL
Murphy ready for bigger workload if Kuhnemann misses Sri Lanka
Todd Murphy is confident about shouldering the load if Matt Kuhnemann is ruled out of the Sri Lanka Test series with a thumb injury.
Left-arm finger spinner Kuhnemann went in for successful surgery on the thumb of his non-bowling hand on Friday morning after being struck with the ball while playing for BBL side Brisbane Heat the previous evening.
As of Friday night, Cricket Australia were still seeking further advice about Kuhnemann's injury to determine whether he would be available for the Sri Lanka tour as planned.
Oh no, that doesn't look great for Matthew Kuhnemann 😬
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) January 16, 2025
He was unable to complete the over after a blow to his right thumb.#BBL14 pic.twitter.com/oSvURH5NKB
The 28-year-old dislocated his right thumb attempting to field a powerful straight drive by Matthew Wade off his own bowling in the 18th over of the Heat's loss to Hobart Hurricanes on Thursday. Kuhnemann will miss the Heat's final home-and-away match of KFC BBL|14 against Melbourne Renegades on Saturday.
At least one of Kuhnemann or Murphy were set to line up alongside Nathan Lyon in the two Tests in Galle, where pitches traditionally favour spin.
And all three front-line spinners would be a chance to feature in the same bowling attack, as they did in three of four Tests touring India in 2023.
Kuhnemann is a particularly attractive selection proposition given he spins the ball the other way from Murphy and Lyon.
Also debuting in the 2023 India series, Murphy wouldn't count Kuhnemann out for Sri Lanka but felt comfortable taking on extra work if he was unavailable.
"The injury is extremely disappointing for him. I think the communication around that has been that the surgery went well," Murphy told AAP.
"I really hope he gets on the plane and he's still good to go. But if it does mean we have to pivot and other things have to happen, I'm obviously more than happy to bowl as many overs as I need to."
An injury to Kuhnemann could also open up the door for white-ball international Cooper Connolly to make his Test debut after he was a surprise selection in the 16-player squad.
Connolly spins the ball the same way as Kuhnemann but selectors could recall Ashton Agar for his first Test match in more than two years if they want a more seasoned left-arm finger spinner. Leg-spinners Tanveer Sangha and Mitch Swepson as turn the ball away from right-handers.
At 21, Connolly has played just four first-class matches and only made his Sheffield Shield debut in March last year, hitting a counter-attacking 90 to help Western Australia beat Tasmania in the final.
"Although he hasn't played a lot of Shield cricket, everyone knows how good he can be," Murphy said.
"Being that three-dimensional player with the bat, ball and in the field, he's a really exciting package. I think if he got an opportunity over there, he'd do really well."
Murphy has been juggling commitments for the BBL's Sydney Sixers with red-ball preparations for Sri Lanka in recent weeks.
That has involved bowling overs with both the red ball and white ball, and spending time in the nets with Lyon in the hours before rain washed out Friday's clash between the Sixers and Sydney Thunder.
Eyeing the Test squad's upcoming camp in the United Arab Emirates, Murphy is sure he will enter Sri Lanka with enough reps under his belt.
"I'm not too worried about that at all," he said.
"The chunk of Shield cricket sets a really good foundation for what's to come after Christmas, whatever that might be. Six Shield games, I bowled plenty of overs. I'm still bowling plenty in the nets.
"I still think T20 cricket to Sri Lankan conditions can be quite transferable with a little bit more square seam stuff, and we've got 10 days to get ready before the first ball's bowled so there's still plenty of time."
Qantas Tour of Sri Lanka
Australia Test squad: Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Travis Head (vc), Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Nathan McSweeney, Todd Murphy, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster
First Test: January 29-February 2, Galle (3.30pm AEDT)
Second Test: February 6-10, Galle (3.30pm AEDT)
First ODI: February 12, Colombo (3.30pm AEDT)
Second ODI: February 14, Colombo (3.30pm AEDT)