Murphy feels well-equipped for long-awaited Test return

Todd Murphy readily admits he's had January 2025 highlighted on his calendar for much of the past year, knowing the two Tests scheduled in Sri Lanka from that time represent his best chance ending an 18-month exile from international cricket.

Due to his role as Nathan Lyon's off-spinning understudy in the red-ball format, Murphy understands his opportunities will most readily arrive during tours to the Asian subcontinent when Australia's starting line-up demands multiple spinners.

Or, as was the case during the 2023 Ashes campaign in the UK where the 24-year-old played the most recent of his six Tests to date, when mishap befalls the nation's most successful-ever finger spinner.

The calf muscle tear Lyon suffered during the second Test against England at Lord's played a significant part in the final 2-2 series scoreline but it also provided Murphy with a chance to show his wares in conditions other than Asia.

It was a brutal baptism into Ashes cricket, most memorably as England captain Ben Stokes unleashed a sustained attack on the young spinner at Headingley before Murphy finished that campaign with a creditable seven wickets at 25.85 from two appearances.

But it's understandable the Victorian is delighted to not only be back among the Test contingent for the first time since his UK sojourn, but also in spin-friendly conditions during the week-long training camp in Dubai and now at Galle where both Sri Lanka Tests will be played.

"You look at the tours that are coming up and the ones that I guess are most realistic for any other domestic spinners are the ones where you come to Asia and they might need to bring two or three (spinners) away," Murphy told cricket.com.au this week.

"It's been on my radar for the last six to eight months, but you don't want to look too far ahead.

"You've still got to perform for your state.

"But it's nice to be back around the group, it's quite an easy group to come back into and fit right back in so it feels really comfortable."

Despite his comparative inexperience – his four other Test outings came during Australia's 2023 tour to India that preceded the Ashes – Murphy knows a bit about what to expect from conditions at Galle.

He was part of the Australia A squad that toured the island in tandem with the Test outfit three years ago, along with current Test teammates Travis Head, Matthew Kuhnemann and Scott Boland.

And he was granted an early look at some of the Sri Lanka batters who were part of the A team for four-day games at Hambantota, most notably Kamindu Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama who were yesterday named in the home team's 18-man Test squad.

Murphy was also called upon to act as net bowler for Australia's batters in the lead up to that two-match 2022 series that finished 1-1.

It's made him acutely aware that, while it's gratifying for any purveyor of the spin-bowling craft to be afforded the chance to bowl in conducive conditions, it also means he'll be confronted by batters who have grown up on a saturation diet of spin.

"It's quite cool to see when the ball is spinning and how well they play it," Murphy said of his encounters with rival batters in Asia.

"They play it quite differently to some Australian batters, they've got beautiful hands and lovely deft touch into gaps so it's a challenge but I think that makes it even more rewarding when you do well.

"It's always good fun when the ball's spinning (though) you can get carried away a bit if it's spinning massively.

"You don't want to over-attack with the way you're bowling as well as the fields you set, so there's measures you can have there to either attack with the ball and defend with your field, or vice versa.

"But it's better to be spinning massive than not spinning at all, so I'm happy to face that challenge."

Murphy concedes he was very much a greenhorn when he received his Baggy Green Cap as Test player number 465 in Nagpur two years ago.

And while he finished that at times frenetic series – which India won 2-1 to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy – with 14 wickets at 25 to be his team's second-most successful bowler behind Lyon, he believes he's developed markedly in areas other than his bowling since then.

That's despite playing just two additional Test matches in the intervening two years.

"I think I'm a lot more aware and probably understand the game a tad better, and what I'm trying to do," Murphy said when asked how he's evolved since 2023.

"When I was in India, I was quite raw still and was just happy to be there, and everything that was happening was the first time.

"Now I've seen it a bit more and getting an understanding of conditions, what I try and do in those conditions and work from there.

"But I think the way I bowl is not too different.

"I'd like to hope that my consistency and that sort of stuff has grown over the years from bowling more and more.

"The bottom line is I'm still trying to do similar things to what I was doing back in India as well."

While a majority of his time at the ICC Academy in Dubai was spent with ball in hand, he was also part of a batting drill alongside fellow tailenders Lyon and Boland.

During the squad's main match simulation in Dubai on Wednesday, the trio took turns facing throw downs from Australia coaches Andrew McDonald and Daniel Vettori as well as occasional tweaker Travis Head.

The batters' task was to defy four or five deliveries at a time, as the ball spun and leapt from the specially prepared surface with six eager catchers clustered around the bat.

It made for compelling theatre as the non-specialist batters tried to keep their wickets intact amid unrelenting physical and verbal pressure from the ring of teammates turned opponents.

"That was good fun and there's a purpose behind it," Murphy explained to cricket.com.au.

"Some people might look on and think it's a little bit silly.

"But as a tail-end batter sometimes you're faced with those situations where if you're batting with a batter and you've got to try and get through one or two balls at the end of each over to give them another chance to score.

"Or if you're a night watchman and you've got five or six guys around the bat and your job is to get through, that was the scenario there.

"So there was a good purpose behind it, but it was also a bit of fun as well.

"All those little things you can do to bring a bit of joy to training is always nice."

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)