SL vs aus, 2nd test – Cooper Connolly exceeds highly rapidly increasing expectations to test cricket – Blogging Sole

But even his legion of admirers in the west could not have foreshadowed to test the cricket would be so fast. After only four first class games, Connolly, 21 years old Second test against Sri Lanka in Galle. He became the fourth beginner in Australia in as many tests.

With her emotional parents standing nearby, Connolly, 21 Simon Katich.

His selection for this test had been murmur in recent days With expectations that the surface used for this match would be significantly dry and particularly favorable to rotation.

Connolly’s selection has raised some eyebrows since it is without a counter of 96 deliveries in his first class career so far. But his three shield games were on the Waca field respectful of the rhythm, when he bordered only six overs against India in Mackay in early November, which was his last first class match.

Although a different format, but Connolly took six counters during the recent BBL season – where he was named tournament player after scoring the most points in the league – highlighted by a strong performance Against Sydney Thunder Under rotation conditions favorable to the showgroups.

If the surface of the second test turns suddenly, Connolly could be dangerous and offers another option to rotate the left arm next to it Matthew Kuhnemannwho was so successful in the series opener.
“From what I saw in the nets, he has bown very good balls,” said the stand-in captain Steven Smith said Wednesday. “He was quite consistent when he was a bowling alley in Dubai and in the nets here.

“This is a bit like everything you have to do in these conditions, just try to play so many good balls in a good area and let the conditions take over.”

Connolly’s inclusion also highlights the more daring selections of the Australian hierarchy which have shown a desire to experiment since the choice of Sam Konstas, 19, for the test of the Christmas course against India.

With the place of Australia in the final of the secure world testing championship, Connolly decided the veteran Glenn Maxwell for a place on the tour of Sri Lanka after having made his T20i and Odi debut in the backend of last year . Without a doubt, the selectors have an eye on the future – the next tour in Australia in India is only two years old – but they will insist on the fact that its selection in the second test is a decision based on specific conditions.

At this stage of his emerging career, Connolly is certainly a much stronger striker and adds a significant depth to the order of Australia in n ° 8. He has already marked three half-century of his six first class sleeves, From 90 out of 115 balls on the start at n ° 7 of the final of last year’s Shield between Wa and Tasmania.

It was an elegant blow on a delicate waca surface that instantly made comparisons with the old big wa Great Shaun Marsh. But given its versatile skills and its factor X capacity, with a strange talent to hit the most fascinating blows, Connolly was compared to Maxwell and Travis Head.

“It’s pretty cool to be honest. You dream of it when you watch them while watching them hit, “he told Espncricinfo last December on comparisons with Maxwell and Head. “I feel proud of myself … it’s a dream of putting a large green.”

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