Sandhurst product keen for Sri Lanka tour

SET to join the Australia A squad to tour Sri Lanka in June, cricketer Todd Murphy knows he has the support of both the Bendigo and Echuca communities.

The 21-year-old off spin bowler from Moama and former premiership player for Sandhurst was named joint winner of the Bendigo Sports Star Award for the month of April.

He said the support he receives from his hometown and former club is “massive.”

“A lot of people in the local area are always really happy to see their own do well,” he said.

“The Bendigo people have been awesome; I’ve had a lot of messages from people around that area reaching out and saying congratulations and how happy they were to see me selected for Australia A.

“That was always one of my favourite parts about growing up in the country, how happy people were for other people’s success.”

Murphy recently had his contract with Victoria Cricket upgraded from rookie to senior player, off the back of a good showing in a Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania where he took seven wickets and helped seal the win with the bat.

He said he aims to cement his spot in the Victorian squad in the upcoming season.

In Sri Lanka, Murphy said his focus will be on developing his game while playing on pitches different to the ones in Australia.

“For me being so young, it’s a great opportunity to over there at this stage in my development and hopefully down the track if I do happen to go back over there, I’ve got that exposure and understand what I need to be doing,” he said.