Australia A spinner Todd Murphy will never bowl a worse ball than the one that somehow slipped out of his hand against India A on Friday.
The six-Test tweaker, who has long been seen as the heir apparent to Nathan Lyon, had a dead ball called in the third innings of the tour match at the WACA ground after it was flung all the way out to the square leg umpire in a truly inexplicable clanger.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Todd Murphy bowls ‘wildest ball we have seen in a long time’.
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“Oh, wow! Oh my God, this is the wildest ball we have seen in a long time,” Declan Byrne said on commentary for Fox Sports.
“That has ended up at the square leg umpire. Todd Murphy — has he got vaseline on his hands?
“That is hilarious! And Murphy has a giggle.
“I don’t think he will do that ever again in his career, and I don’t think he’s done that before.
“That has slipped out and gone 20 metres on a 45-degree angle left. Wow.”
It was some comic relief for the Aussies on an otherwise tough day in the field.
Earlier, Nathan McSweeney became the latest Australian Test hopeful to falter in his push for the top-order vacancy, denied a half-century in Australia A’s first innings.
After rivals for selection Sam Konstas, Cameron Bancroft and Marcus Harris failed on Day 1 (Thursday), the stage appeared set for dark horse McSweeney to stake his claim in Mackay.
In at No.4, the in-form South Australia captain had anchored the innings with a patient display, building intrigue as to his potential for a shift to the top of the Test order against India.
But McSweeney lasted less than an hour on Friday, clipping Nitish Kumar Reddy to gully after Cooper Connolly (37 from 60 balls) and Josh Philippe (four) fell in quick succession.
McSweeney’s 39 from 131 balls was nonetheless the top score on a deck that gave both sides grief in their first innings.
“It’s just a good cricket wicket, there’s value for your shots but you can also take wickets if you keep the ball in the right areas,” said Connolly.
Murphy threatened to embarrass his top-order teammates by posting the most runs for Australia, despite averaging only 14.86 in first-class cricket before this week.
The right-arm spinner (33 from 47 balls) came in at No.9 and bludgeoned the only six of the innings over deep backward square leg, as he flagged his aggressive intentions at the death.
But the 23-year-old holed out to mid-off to end Australia A’s innings with the hosts — 195 all out — 88 runs ahead of India A (107).
Murphy had become Mukesh Kumar’s final victim as the paceman ended the pick of India A’s bowlers with an impressive 6-46.
A travelling reserve for the Border-Gavaskar trophy, Kumar set carnage in motion on Day 2 by dismissing Connolly following the young West Australian’s positive start.
Connolly (37 from 60) had notably clubbed Test hopeful Prasidh Krishna for four on three occasions in the same over before Kumar had him caught at square leg.
“It would’ve been nice to stick out there a bit longer with ‘Nath’ but the game’s evenly poised. There’s plenty of cricket to go,” Connolly said.
Sai Sudharsan (96 not out) and Devdutt Padikkal (80*) partnered to put India A (2-208) ahead by 120 runs at stumps on Day 2, but neither man is in the Test squad for the five-match series beginning in Perth on November 22.
Australia A paceman Jordan Buckingham grabbed the highlight of the day in running out Abhimanyu Easwaran (12) with a direct hit from mid-on.
The bullet-like throw consigned the visitors to 2-30 before Sudharsan and Padikkal embarked on an unbeaten 178-run stand.
Both Easwaran (12) and Ruturaj Gaikwad (five) were again out cheaply as they jostle to replace India opener Rohit Sharma, who looks set to miss the first Test for personal reasons.
Australia A injected Connolly’s part-time spin into the attack after tea as they searched in vain for a breakthrough late on Day 2.
– With AAP