Kuhnemannโs task was to make Tasmania conditions work in his favour. Last season, spinners claimed just 16 wickets from five clashes at an average of 44.63 and strike rate of 91 in Hobart.
From two contests at the venue, Kuhnemann has taken nine scalps โ averaging 22 and striking at 58 โ to stand as the leader wicket-taker among spinners (18) while bowling more overs (241) than any player in the 2024-25 campaign.
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His success in challenging conditions will serve as ideal preparation to not only thrive in the subcontinent, but edge ahead in the three-way race to one day succeed Lyon as Australiaโs frontline tweaker.
Victorian off-spinner Todd Murphy has largely been regarded as that man โ four years Kuhnemannโs junior, who featured in the last Ashes and took match figures of 6-132 in the final Test.
Corey Rocchiccioli is another contender, impressing selectors from Perthโs fast bowling-dominant conditions.
Murphy will join Kuhnemann and Lyon, who reportedly intends to play beyond next summer, in Sri Lanka. However, the fact he turns the ball the same way as Lyon could work against him as Australia look to deploy at least two spinners in the spin-friendly conditions.
The left-arm delivery gives Kuhnemann a point of difference, although the shock selection of West Australian rookie Cooper Connolly โ who bowls the same style, while predominantly a batsman โ could prove an obstacle.
But Kuhnemann declared he would lean on his three Tests in India to push his case, and was adamant he and Connolly could coexist in the same side.
โWe offer different types of bowling โ obviously weโre both left arm orthodox bowlers, but โฆ I probably got a bit squarer [of the wicket],โ Kuhnemann said.
โThere are a lot of technical things I can take from my first trip to India, but more so itโs off the field dealing with the pressure of the crowd and the expectations.
โThe main one was just doing my role and not overdoing it, you get some conditions that suit you so itโs just about being as accurate as possible. Iโm really happy with how the ballโs coming out and my game as a whole.โ
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