Australia’s Todd Murphy, SCG pitch and the slow decline of spin bowling

These scalps also took time – almost 93 balls, or more than 15 balls each – making the SCG the country’s toughest Test ground for slow bowlers.

For comparison, fast bowlers have taken 108 wickets at an average of 27.72 at the SCG since the 2021 Australia-India Test.

None of Australia’s Test venues have been particularly helpful to spinners over the last five years, but nowhere does the difference between spin and fast bowling averages (almost 22 runs a wicket) come close to the SCG.

Since hosting the first of 113 Tests in 1882, the spin bowling average of 33.21 is the lowest of all Australia’s regular Test venues (spinners’ average total is 31.82 at Hobart’s Bellerive Oval).

Sydney’s notoriously harsh weather conditions have played their part in six of the last 11 SCG Tests, which have ended in draws, preventing the pitch from turning into spin-friendly conditions.

However, last year’s pitch was described by Australia and NSW great Mark Waugh as the greenest he had ever seen in Sydney; Lyon, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar were bowling just 10 overs for the Test between them.

Australia will hold their first training session in Sydney on Thursday and McDonald will point out that Murphy will play his first Test on home soil earlier this week.

“I’d love to draft Todd. I’d love to see what he has to offer,” McDonald said.

“He’s had seven Test matches in his career and he’s been in a pretty good position in the last two years.

“We talked about Sammy. [Konstas] The young spinners have it too, before experiencing a slight dip in terms of batting area.

“[Murphy] “He had some issues with his shoulder and we think he’s back to his best.”

A heavier workload looms for the Victorian than spinners need during the Ashes series, which is on track to deliver some of the least slow bowling this century.

Figures compiled by cricket.com.au It shows that an average of just 261 balls (or 43.4 overs) of spin has been bowled in each Test this summer; Lyon’s five wickets in Adelaide is the only occasion where spin has actually affected a contest.

The two Sheffield Shield matches at the SCG this summer also provide food for thought.

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Murphy made just 12 runs (2-31) for Victoria in a 300-run win at NSW in November. However, Lyon played out 51.1 overs (6-134) on what Mitchell Starc described as a “tame” pitch and the Blues were beaten by two scores for under 130.

NSW leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha also recorded just 14 overs (3-39) in the first week of December, but his Queensland counterpart Mitch Swepson smashed 36 first-innings overs in the home team’s 7-471.

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