Ashes 2023: Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood are cooked, they don’t show it and keep charging in – Todd Murphy

Australia’s greenhorn spinner Todd Murphy has admitted that the pace troika of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood are cooked but they still give their best to the team. While both Starc and Hazlewood are playing their fourth Test of the series, Cummins, being the leader of the team, is playing his fifth.

Furthermore, Starc and Cummins were part of the World Test Championship final against India, which was played just before the Ashes.

Starc, Cummins, and Hazlewood have picked a total of 57 wickets among them in the ongoing Ashes and the trio have been right on the money. Starc is currently the leading wicket-taker of the series with 23 scalps whereas Cummins and Hazlewood have picked 18 and 16 wickets respectively.

“I’m sure they’re cooked,” Murphy said of Australia’s fast bowlers. “They don’t show it, they keep charging in. The attitude’s always there. I think the hunger, especially being the last Test and to try to win the Ashes, is there. The boys get on with it and you’ve seen today Starcy just kept coming back and coming back after a few spells and got his rewards late. You always love playing with those guys.”

Meanwhile, Todd Murphy replaced injured Nathan Lyon in the third Test match at Leeds, Headingley but he was taken apart by Ben Stokes. The youngster was then dropped in the fourth Test at Old Trafford, Manchester as the visitors decided to play both of their seam bowling all-rounders, Cameron Green and Mitchell Marsh. However, Murphy was drafted back into the final XI in the fifth Test.

The off-spinner returned with figures of 2-22 in the first innings to help his team skittle out England for 283. Furthermore, he smashed a quickfire knock of 34 runs off just 39 balls. Murphy currently has figures of 3-110 in the second innings and he also got the big wicket of Joe Root, who was going strongly on 91.

At stumps on Day 3, England were 389-9, leading by 377 runs.