Todd Murphy has been named in Australia’s 15-man squad for the Boxing Day Test as Nathan Lyon’s replacement, but head coach Andrew McDonald has not ruled out playing four fast bowlers at the MCG instead of picking a spinner. Lyon will undergo surgery on a torn right hamstring and will be out for an extended period after being injured while fielding on the final day in Adelaide. Meanwhile, Steven Smith returns to captain the side in Pat Cummins’ absence, and Jhye Richardson has been added as pace bowling cover.

Lyon out for “an extended period” after surgery

Nathan Lyon, who turned 38 last month, tore his right hamstring while chasing a ball to the boundary on Day 5 of Australia’s 82-run win in Adelaide. He saw a specialist in Melbourne on Monday and underwent surgery on Tuesday morning. Cricket Australia confirmed he will be sidelined for “an extended period,” with McDonald saying Lyon faces a “long” recovery​

Lyon’s injury comes just over two years after he suffered a similar setback during the 2023 Ashes at Lord’s, when a calf injury kept him out for several weeks. Mitchell Starc has backed Lyon to have the hunger for another rehab, but at 38, the recovery timeline could be significant.

Todd Murphy gets the nod over Rocchiccioli and Kuhnemann

Murphy, a 25-year-old off-spinner, has been chosen ahead of CA-contracted Matthew Kuhnemann, Sheffield Shield leading spinner Corey Rocchiccioli, and legspinner Mitchell Swepson. Murphy has played seven Tests for Australia, all away from home, taking 22 wickets at 28.13. He has also taken six wickets at 25.33 in three Sheffield Shield matches at the MCG for Victoria.

If selected, Murphy would become the first specialist spinner other than Lyon to play a home Test for Australia in 14 years. He replaced Lyon during the 2023 Ashes, playing at Headingley and The Oval as the sole spinner, and was part of a three-man spin attack in Galle earlier this year alongside Lyon and Kuhnemann.

McDonald explained the selection process, saying,

“It’s always pretty robust around when you’ve got three, three potential candidates, or even four. Todd’s been an important part of key overseas series. He played in the last Ashes back in 2023, and we feel as though Todd’s back to his best. I spoke to Todd this morning, really excited for him to be back around the group.”

Rocchiccioli can feel unlucky to miss out. The 28-year-old has been the leading spinner in Shield cricket over the past two seasons, taking 20 wickets at 28.20 this summer and 38 at 27.71 last season. His extra height and bounce have troubled batters, especially at the WACA. He has played two games at the MCG, including one for Australia A against India A last year, taking eight wickets at 23.50.

Four quicks still an option at the MCG

McDonald did not rule out playing four fast bowlers instead of a spinner, depending on how the MCG pitch develops over the next few days. He said,

“We’ve got some decisions make. I just had a look at the wicket then. Do we play spinner? Don’t we play spinner? We’ll work through that.”

MCG curator Matt Page said spin would play a role in the Test, pointing to the recent Sheffield Shield game where Matt Short took 4 for 57 in the third innings. Page said,

“We had a great Shield game here. We obviously had some really challenging weather leading to that. I think the pitch sat under covers for three days. It was really cool, which is not ideal for pitch prep. But the pitch did everything that we wanted it to. I think we had two fast bowlers get five-fors, a couple of guys got hundreds, and Matt Short got four in the [third] innings. So for us, it’s about trying to give everyone a chance in the game at certain points.”

If Australia go with four quicks, Jhye Richardson could be in line for his first Test in four years. Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland are both fit to play, with Boland recovering from a hip knock suffered while batting in Adelaide. Michael Neser and Brendan Doggett are also in the squad as pace options.

Batting order puzzle with Smith’s return

Steven Smith returns to captain after missing the Adelaide Test due to vertigo symptoms. His return at No. 4 creates some difficult decisions for the selectors around the middle order. McDonald said he wants to keep the Travis Head-Jake Weatherald opening combination and believes Usman Khawaja, who scored 122 runs at late notice in Adelaide, is back to his best and could stay at No. 5.

McDonald said,

“I’m not willing to say Uz will be a lock but what he’s done is he’s performed really well, runs in that game at late notice. I felt as though he’s back to that attacking sort of play. He’s still a good player, and age shouldn’t factor into any of our decision-making.”

He also wants Alex Carey to stay at No. 6, saying,

“Alex Carey at six, I like what he’s doing there. So my assumption is, and I’ll have a little bit of a say in that, that he’ll stay six.”

That puts pressure on Cameron Green and Josh Inglis. Green has struggled for runs this series, butchering starts in Perth and Brisbane and enduring a tough game in Adelaide. McDonald was careful when asked about the 26-year-old all-rounder, saying,

“The returns haven’t been there, but we’ve also seen what capabilities and the upside that he has and he’s an important part of what we’re setting out to achieve in the short-term and the long-term. He’s a very good cricketer, and I’m sure that his next opportunity, he’ll be able to show that whenever that may.”

If Green is pushed to No. 7, that could open the door for Beau Webster to return, given his experience batting in that role for Tasmania.