Todd Murphy, you make my heart sing

James Knight | February 10, 2023

Recently, I asked my son: ‘Who are your favourite cricketers?’

Two names stood out in his batch of answers: Pakistan’s Imam-ul-Haq and England’s Jack Leach.

‘Because they both wear glasses,’ said my bespectacled 11-year-old.

His statement struck me hard. It wasn’t so much an acknowledgement of the players he watched, but an acknowledgement of his own identity and sense of belonging. My son was like Imam and Jack. Or more tellingly, Imam and Jack were like him. Perhaps old-fashioned perception would shove all three of them into a class of nerds, but times change, and nowadays, perception walks a precarious line with the game-changing player called ‘inclusion.’ Which leads me to Todd Murphy. Those without any knowledge of him could see him and suggest he is suited to wearing a white coat in a laboratory. With that in mind, it is fitting that Australia’s newest test cricketer is applying his trade on a Bunsen Burner in Nagpur. You see---perhaps better than our rookie test star does---Todd wears glasses too. That trait alone has won him at least one new young fan. And that makes my heart sing. Little would Todd know that the steps he is taking in his fledgling career are making much deeper impressions than those left on a 22-yard strip of doctored dust.

Speaking of medics, I will never forget my son’s early trips to visit those dark rooms in which he clenched his fists when lights were shone, and drops were dropped. When he tried to read those rows of letters on the charts, he may as well have been interpreting hieroglyphics. My heart did not sing then.

I have no idea if Todd and his family went through the same ordeal when he was a boy. Indeed, I know next to nothing about Todd. Except that he is 22 years-old and bowls off-spin, a pursuit in which the action of the hand can resemble one opening a door.

Todd Murphy the door opener. How very true.

So far, he has excelled. But professional sport is fickle. So too is society’s interpretation of success. In cricket, many of our biggest superstars are not only known for how they play the game, but for the cars they drive, the houses they live in, the followers they have on social media, and the sponsorships they gain. At this point, I’m reminded of a day when I looked into a prominent player’s kit. Well, it wasn’t so much a kit but a catalogue of sunglasses.

Glasses. Yep. They mean more to some of us than others will ever understand. My son knows that. And as for you, Todd? Well, I hope you don’t mind, but there’s a little something I’d like to say to you in finishing:

‘Mate, regardless of what lies ahead for you, you’re already an inspiring success. Good stuff! And you know the greatest joy you bring me? It is the fact that my son will be keeping his eyes on you. That is so bloody special. Thanks Todd. Best of luck.’