Ashes 2023: You’ve got to bring your spinner in early – Mark Taylor wants Pat Cummins to back Todd Murphy

Former Australian skipper Mark Taylor wants Pat Cummins to put his weight behind Todd Murphy in the remaining two Ashes Test matches. Murphy, who made his Ashes debut in the third Test match at Leeds, Headingley in place of injured Nathan Lyon, didn’t have a great game for the visitors.

The young spinner got the big wicket of Ben Stokes in the first innings but Cummins bowled Murphy for only two overs in the second essay. Australia had set up a target of 251 runs and Taylor felt Cummins should have bowled Murphy a lot more.

Murphy returned with figures of 1-36 in the first innings and then had figures of 0-13 in the two overs in the second essay.

Mark Taylor told Sydney Morning Herald: “It’s very tough. I would’ve liked to see him bowl before lunch, and I don’t mean one over before lunch, I thought three or four before lunch when we got those couple of wickets and Ben Stokes came straight to the crease. I think you’ve got to bring your spinner in early to give them some belief that they’re in this, they’re part of the way we’re going to win the Test match. You saw what Pat did in the first innings by bowling him at the end, to Ben Stokes.”

Taylor added: “He got him out eventually. Yes, he hit him for a couple of sixes, but he nearly had him caught at long off when he was less than 50. So I think you’ve got to bring your slow bowler in to try to create opportunities.”

Meanwhile, Mitchell Marsh was able to grab his opportunity with both hands as he returned with scores of 118 and 28 in the third Test match. Furthermore, he scalped two wickets in the game. Taylor feels Australia can play both all-rounders – Mitchell Marsh and Cameron Green, who will be fit for the fourth Test.

Taylor said, “It was a low scoring game, no score over 260-odd for the game, which makes it harder for your slow bowlers. So whether or not Australia are going to need him for Old Trafford could depend on the pitch. If we get something similar [to Headingley] and Australia aren’t going to use him, I think he’s only bowled nine overs for the game, Australia can think about playing two all-rounders.”

England was able to bounce back in the Ashes as they won the third Test match by three wickets. The fourth Ashes Test will be played at Old Trafford from 19th July onwards.