Brian Murphy - a short biography
KNOWN AS: Brian Murphy
John Ward
02-Mar-2000
BFULL NAME: Brian Andrew Murphy
BORN: 1 December 1976, at Salisbury
MAJOR TEAMS: Young Mashonaland, Western Province
KNOWN AS: Brian Murphy. Nickname: Murphs
BATTING STYLE: Right Hand Bat
BOWLING STYLE: Leg Breaks and Googlies
OCCUPATION: Cape Town University student
FIRST-CLASS DEBUT: Young Mashonaland v Mashonaland Country
Districts, at Alexandra Sports Club, 15-17 September 1995
TEST DEBUT: Still awaited
ODI DEBUT: Still awaited
BIOGRAPHY (February 2000)
It was with surprise and relief that Zimbabwe cricket followers
noted the name of Brian Murphy in the touring party for the West
Indies at the end of the 1999/2000 season. Brian had been at
Cape Town University for several years and seemed to be settled
down there permanently, another promising player lost to Zimbabwe
cricket.
The selectors were in a desperate situation: Paul Strang was
injured, Adam Huckle permanently retired, Andrew Whittall lacking
penetration and Ray Price lacking experience. They took a gamble
in deciding to invite leg-spinning all-rounder Brian, who has
played for Western Province as an overseas player and was
qualifying as a local player. Brian responded, and although he
is not yet ready to make a commitment to Zimbabwean cricket, it
now seems likely that if he has any significant future in the
game it will be for this country.
Brian comes from a sporting family, but the concentration was on
rugby rather than cricket. His father, also Brian, played rugby
for Rhodesia, as it then was, between 1969 and 1975; he also
played odd matches for a World XI and after his retirement became
a leading local rugby coach. Brian senior did also play cricket,
and still does for a social team in Harare.
Brian junior, along with his twin brother David, first played
cricket with their father in their garden in Harare, learning the
game more formally at St John's Preparatory School. At Grade 5
age he won a place in the school colts team and then had two
years in the senior side. He was twice chosen for the Harare
Schools team to play in the national primary schools week, but
did not make the national side. He played mainly as a batsman,
doing little bowling at that time, and scored a couple of fifties
during the week.
His game did not really take off until he went to high school, at
St George's College. He was successful enough to win a place in
the Fawns, the national Under-15 team, and then into his own
school first team in Form 3. He played for three years in the
Zimbabwe Schools team, 1993 to 1995, the last two as captain.
By now he was very much an all-rounder. In the nets while still
at St John's, a teacher, Pete Webb, asked him if he could spin
the ball, and he immediately found he could bowl a natural
leg-spin, and bowl it well. He did not develop the gift much
until he reached high school, though. Being appointed captain
helped, as he was able to give himself practice in matches! He
found he gradually became more accurate and feel he was lucky to
develop a good set of basics at a young age, although he cannot
remember anybody in particular working with him then. He also
spent much time working on his spin in the nets, given the
opportunity by enthusiastic coaches. He pays tribute to the St
George's coach, Waqar Ali, from Pakistan, also a leg-spinner who
was able to give him help. His best bowling performance was six
for 26 against a Kenyan touring team, while his highest score,
and also the highest of his career at any level to date, was 123
not out against Eaglesvale School, as well as another century off
52 balls against an English touring school team.
In Form 2 Brian captained the Mashonaland side at the Fawns
cricket week, held at Watershed near Marondera, where he enjoyed
much success, but mainly as a batsman. Chosen for the national
side, he visited Windhoek to play a Namibia Under-19 team, but
not South Africa, as links had not yet been fully re-established
with that country. Later on, though, he went to three South
African Schools weeks, at Pretoria, Durban and East London,
captaining the national side in the last two years. He enjoyed
only moderate success as a bowler, taking three wickets in an
innings on a couple of occasions, but made a fifty against Free
State in his second Week and another fifty in his third.
He had the opportunity to play club cricket while still at
school, but decided not to at this stage. He did make his
first-class debut in the Logan Cup, though, unsuccessfully for
Young Mashonaland against Mashonaland Country Districts.
Fielding first, he was bowling to Paul Strang, who hit back a
ferocious drive that not only broke Brian's finger but injured
his leg as well, putting him out of the rest of the match so that
he was unable even to bat.
In those days Brian played several other sports, representing
Zimbabwe at hockey, at swimming when he was younger, and
athletics for his school. Rugby he did not play, having suffered
from torn ligaments in his knee when at junior school which
prevented him from making much of a start in this game.
In 1995/96, immediately after leaving school, he was selected to
captain the Zimbabwean Under-19 team against the touring England
Under-19s, when the inexperienced local side were seriously
outclassed. His only real success as a player was 67 in the
first one-day international, the other two being washed out.
Brian was accepted into university at Cape Town, to study
business science, a four-year course which became five when he
changed from a law to a finance course. He should complete his
degree at the end of 2000. He was appointed captain of the
university team in his first year there. The next season,
1997/98, he made his debut for Western Province as an overseas
player.
He had impressed at the end of the previous season with a regular
seven or eight wickets in the two-day club matches for the
university team, including a good haul against Pines Cricket
Club, the team of Western Province captain Craig Matthews. He
was impressed by Brian's bowling and invited him to the Western
Province nets, where Duncan Fletcher was coaching, and he also
showed an interest in Brian. Brian played in five four-day
matches for the Province, but without much success with bat or
ball; he had lost some of his best form with bat or ball.
This was not actually his first experience in South African
inter-provincial cricket, as at the end of the previous season he
played a one-day match for Mashonaland against Natal.
Mashonaland had won a quarter-final against Eastern Province, but
were seriously weakened in the semi-final against Natal as
several leaving players had been forced to withdraw so as to
honour club contracts in England. This included leg-spinning
all-rounder Paul Strang, and Brian was called in to replace him.
It was after this that Brian began his two-year qualification for
Western Province.
Brian continued to prosper in club cricket, taking two
eleven-wicket match hauls but batting at number nine so he did
not have much chance with the bat, recording perhaps six fifties.
He also played for three years in the South African Universities team.
During this time the Zimbabwe Cricket Union unfortunately did not
follow him up much, but the players kept in touch at times. When
the Zimbabwean team played in the triangular tournament in South
Africa in early 2000, Brian bowled to them in the nets when they
came to Newlands in Cape Town. At the end of the practice Andy
Flower approached him, obviously impressed, and asked him if he
would be available for the tour to the West Indies. Brian,
surprised, said he would think about it, and after two or three
weeks decided this was an opportunity not to be missed. It was
Zimbabwe's first tour to the West Indies, and he also realised
that it would be foolish to turn down the chance to play
international cricket for his country. He would miss a month of
studies, but he could catch them up later.
Eventually he received a phone call from his father to tell him
his selection had been confirmed, after being notified by Dave
Houghton. He flew back to Harare four days before the team was
due to leave for the West Indies to join the team. He feels it
is unlikely that he will be able to tour England as well, though,
but does not altogether rule out the possibility. He realises
that he is venturing into the unknown. "I don't know what Test
cricket will hold in store for me," he said. "If I like the
atmosphere and if I can adapt my game quickly enough then I can't
tell you honestly whether I will go back to my studies or
continue cricket."
Brian pays tribute to the former Australian leg-spinner Terry
Jenner as the man who has helped him the most with his bowling.
Jenner visited the Western Province and Brian was sent as one of
a group to receive coaching from him. Jenner confirmed most of
what Brian had been applying at the time and gave him much extra
help.
"There are five balls that a leg-spinner can bowl," says Brian.
"The normal leg-spinner, the top-spinner, the googly, the
slide-on and the flipper. I can bowl four of those without the
flipper." That remains for the future.
As a batsman Brian is strong on the drive, and is more at home on
the front than the back foot, although he realises that he will
need to make adjustments to that area of his technique if he is
to score runs in the West Indies. Basically orthodox, he tends
to favour the off side. He has no particular preference or
ambition for a certain position in the batting order, but is
prepared to take what comes to him. Realistically he feels that
number six, for example, would be too high for him, but does not
altogether rule out moving up in that direction in the future.
His normal fielding position is at backward point, where he takes
a pride in his speed and throw.
Jonty Rhodes he names as a very difficult opponent to bowl to, as
he relies much on the sweep, which he admits is a good way to
unsettle a bowler. He also mentions John Commins of Western
Province and the West Indian Jimmy Adams as other batsmen who
have troubled him. "Jacques kallis, although I've never played
against him, only bowled against him in the nets," he adds.
"He's got a good technique for spin. Good spinners can really
tie him down but he can defend against them, but whether he can
score off them freely is another matter. I haven't played
against the great players of spin, Mark Waugh or Aravinda de
Silva. Andy Flower is a good player of spin who manipulates the
bowling well." As the best bowlers he has faced he names two
West Indians who have played much in South Africa, Otis Gibson
and Vasbert Drakes.
His proudest achievement in his career so far he names as
captaining his country at Under-19 level. Greater things may
come in the future, but he is still considering his future very
seriously since his unexpected selection which has rearranged his
life expectations. He had not given up all thoughts of returning
to Zimbabwe, but had planned to get his degree before making
himself available for Zimbabwe. It was no doubt wise of him to
take the opportunity that arose, however, as had he turned it
down it might never have come again.
If things go well for him in this tour, he is definitely planning
to return and will consider a professional contract if he is
offered one. "If things don't go well, I will at least know what
it is like to play cricket at that level and I'm sure I can deal
with that," he says. "If I really want to go all the way, I have
to be prepared to work at it to play at Test level. As long as I
know what it's like, and no matter how many Test players you talk
to it's not going to be the same as the experience, and nobody
can take that experience away from you. If I get to play in a
Test match - and that's what I'm very excited about."
Outside cricket, Brian is interested in reading, chess and
watching shows with friends, as well as sport generally. He is
also interested in the finance world, and sees his future career
there, sooner or later. Hopefully a long and successful cricket
career lies in between.