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.
“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.”