ToddMurphy

Born in Echuca on the Victorian side of the Murray River but raised in the NSW town of Moama, Todd Murphy didn't start bowling off-spin until age 16 when spin guru Craig Howard noticed his potential at an under-16s training session in the small town of Rochester.

From there he quickly rose to prominence as one of the most impressive young cricketers in the country, selected in Australia's squad for the 2020 U19 World Cup where he took seven wickets from as many games across the tournament and warm-up matches.

He made his Sheffield Shield debut for Victoria at the end of the 2020-21 season, but it was in 2022 that he broke out and emerged as one of Australia's top spinners. In just his second first-class match, Murphy claimed seven wickets and made a crucial 24no to help guide Victoria to a famous Shield victory over Tasmania in March that ensured the state's passage to the season decider against WA, telling cricket.com.au in 2022: "Without that game, I don't get the opportunities I've been given over the last six to eight months. "That was a massive starting point for me and my career. It's given me that platform to build off, so I look back really fondly on that (game)."

Selection for the Australia A tour of Sri Lanka in June followed, as well as a full contract with the Sydney Sixers. A strong tour there and an equally impressive showing for the Prime Minister's XI against the West Indies in November saw the young 'offie announce himself again and has the most prolific spinner at the halfway point of the 2022-23 Shield season widely tipped as the heir apparent to Nathan Lyon.