'Think they'll probably come even harder at me' - Todd Murphy expects stern challenge ahead of potential Ashes debut

The Ashes 2023 has gotten off to the worst of starts for the Ben Stokes-led England. After losing the first Test at Edgbaston by the barest of margins, England failed to make a comeback in the series at Lord's, and they lost the second Test by 43 runs as well.

As Australia strengthen their grip on the series, they would be going into the third Test without the services of veteran spinner Nathan Lyon, who sustained a calf injury in the second game. As his replacement, the 22-year-old Todd Murphy would be expected to feature at Headingley in the third Test.

Ahead of the much-anticipated encounter, Murphy has opened up on his nerves ahead of his potential Ashes debut. The 22-year-old mentioned that he is expecting a hostile crowd at Headingley, especially after Jonny Bairstow’s controversial dismissal in the second Test. 

"They made a lot of noise but were all quite friendly, from speaking to the boys, this is probably the most hostile ground you get in England. I'm quite looking forward to it if I do get the opportunity, having grown up watching Ashes cricket. It's going to be different and I'm sure they won't hold back, so just embrace it and try to have a good time…everyone's under no illusions it's going to come pretty hard," Murphy was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. 

Think they'll probably come even harder at me: Murphy

Furthermore, Murphy also opined that he is fully prepared for an encounter against England’s ‘Bazball’ approach and is aware of the fact that the English batters would be going after him more, considering his inexperience.

"Think they'll probably come even harder at me, obviously I haven't played a hell of a lot of Test cricket, there's a challenge that presents itself. They keep taking the game on and I think it's about trying to navigate through that, come up with a few different ideas that can help and try to keep creating chances," Murphy said.