Australia field two off-spinners in a Test for first time after 35 years


image-ldwmoy49Todd Murphy makes his Test debut in Nagpur (Cricket Australia)

Australia - The land from where the greatest spinner of all-time Shane Warne came. However, no other tweaker got his time to prove his mettle when Warne was ripping the opposition batters. Even Stuart MacGill, a spinner with 208 wickets, had to sit on the bench as the Victorian was enough for any team.

After Warne's retirement, Nathan Lyon became the Australian spin department's flag-bearer. But, over the years, in spin-friendly conditions, Lyon has struggled time and again to find a quality partner at the other end.

Although it is expected that Australia's fortunes will change against India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023. Todd Murphy became the 465th Test cricketer for Australia, debuting at Nagpur in the first Test and joining the spin attack with Lyon. 

Murphy has got his chance after impressing national selectors in the Sheffield Shield and Big Bash League.

The visitors have gone with just two spinners, and interestingly both of them are off-break bowlers. It is the first incident since the Australia tour of Pakistan in 1988 when they played two off-spinners together in Tests.

The duo of Lyon and Murphy are the first pair after Tim May and Peter Taylor to play as offies in the longest format. On that tour of 1988, the duo shared 18 wickets between them, but in a losing cause.

The Pat Cummins-led side will be expecting something special from the latest entrant as they have struggled in India since winning a Test series in 2004.

At the time of writing, the visitors have lost their openers, David Warner and Usman Khawaja, to Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj, respectively. However, Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne are rescuing them against the Indian spin challenge.


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