NEW DELHI: Australia sprung a major surprise by leaving out specialist spinner Todd Murphy for the fifth and last Ashes Test against England at the Sydney Cricket Ground - a decision that stand-in captain Steve Smith admitted he "hates doing."
The move also marked a historic moment, as it was the first time since 1888 that Australia did not include a frontline spinner in a Test match at the SCG.
Murphy was drafted into the Australian squad to replace veteran spinner Nathan Lyon, who suffered a hamstring injury during the Adelaide Test. The spectacled Victorian, who also missed out on selection for the MCG clash, is still yet to make his Test debut on home soil.
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Speaking at the toss, Smith confirmed it was a hard decision to leave out Murphy.
"Hate doing it," he said. "But we keep producing wickets that we don't think are going to spin and seam's going to play a big part. You kind of get pushed into a corner."
Australia made a single change to its playing XI from last week's high-octane Boxing Day Test at the MCG, bringing in all-rounder Beau Webster to replace seamer Jhye Richardson.
Former Australian spinner Kerry O'Keeffe didn't hold back his frustration over the prospect of Australia playing without a specialist spinner at the SCG.
Speaking on Fox Sports News' Ashes Daily, O'Keeffe joked that he might "take the selection panel to The Hague" over the decision.
He pointed out that the pitch had offered plenty of assistance to spinners during the Sheffield Shield games this season and stressed that Todd Murphy, a quality bowler, deserved a chance to play. "I will be bereft if Australia go in without a specialist spinner for this match," he said.
