A talented legspinner whom the South Africans tried to poach while he was at Cape Town University, Brian Murphy was given special dispensation by his faculty to miss the first term in 2000 so that he could tour the West Indies, where he impressed in his two Test appearances. He rushed back to university afterwards, but was summoned to England in May 2001 just in time to play in the Lord's Test. Control is a strength, as is his googly and the ability to generate a generous degree of spin. He is also a more-than-useful tailend batsman, who often attends to nightwatchman duties. He was a surprise choice as captain, starting with the one-day tournament in Sharjah in October 2001, when Heath Streak decided to stand down and concentrate on his bowling. His tenure was brief. After four ODIs and one Test, none of which he won, Murphy sustained a hand injury and stepped down.
Geoffrey Dean