Todd Murphy signs with Durham County Cricket Club ahead of the Ashes 2023
Todd Murphy [Source: Twitter]
Durham County Cricket Club has secured the services of Australian off-spinner Todd Murphy for the upcoming county cricket season before he potentially joins the Australian squad, whose Ashes defence gets underway at Edgbaston on June 16.
The contract was reportedly settled before Murphy's debut in the recent Test match in Nagpur, which proved to be an exceptional performance, with the 22-year-old claiming seven wickets for 124 runs.
However, this achievement stood out in a humbling defeat for the visitors against a clinical Indian side.
The young cricketer will now have an opportunity to develop his cricketing experience and familiarise himself with the English pitches and the Dukes ball during the initial seven rounds of the Championship fixtures.
The experience of playing on English soil will help the spinner in Ashes if he manages to make it to the squad. It is worth mentioning that Murphy has played eight first-class matches, claiming 36 wickets at an average of 23.75.
According to The Guardian, Cricket Australia was involved in the deal and is responsible for covering Murphy's travel expenses during his tenure in the North East of England.
The youngster will work under the Australian team management of Ryan Campbell, a former Australian cricketer and Durham's head coach and Marcus North, a former Australian cricketer and the director of cricket at Durham.
The Victorian offie joins a list of talented Australian cricketers set to play in the County Championship before the Ashes. Notably, Steve Smith will play three matches for Sussex, Marnus Labuschagne will represent Glamorgan, and Michael Neser will play for the Welsh side.
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