Young gun is eager for more international cricket as he gets set for just his sixth first-class match
Connolly takes rapid rise in stride ahead of Shield return
Cooper Connolly insists he has not been taken aback by his rapid ascent up to international cricket as the emerging allrounder returns for Western Australia's last-gasp attempt at a Sheffield Shield four-peat.
Connolly had a whirlwind four-week stretch through February in which the 21-year-old was named the KFC BBL player of the tournament, made his Test debut and then thrown to the wolves against India in the Champions Trophy semi-final.
The long-haired young gun is now back to help WA's push to face South Australia in the Sheffield Shield decider in their final regular season match against Victoria at the WACA Ground. Sam Whiteman's men need to win and hope other results fall their way.
That Saturday's match will mark just the sixth first-class match played by Connolly – he is yet to take a wicket, or score a century, although he has passed fifty three times in seven innings and averages 52 with the bat – underscores how rapid his elevation to the international stage has been.
"Obviously getting a little taste of it makes you want it more," Connolly told reporters on Friday.
"Getting my Baggy Green and then to play a game in the Champions Trophy, it was dream come true … hopefully there's plenty more to come."
Connolly will go head to head to with Victoria spinner Todd Murphy, the man he replaced in the Test side last month when he made his debut as Australia shored up their batting on a turning surface in Galle.
That decision raised eyebrows given Connolly's lack of red-ball experience, having only played his maiden first-class game during last summer's Shield final when Cameron Bancroft was a late scratching due to injury.
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The left-hander blasted 90 from only 115 balls, continuing a series of standout domestic performances after his star turn in the Big Bash final two years ago.
Australia have been eager to blood him in all three formats, earmarking as a player in the Glenn Maxwell mould for subcontinental Test series.
"I felt like it wasn't really a surprise," Connolly said of his Test debut in which he made 4 in his only hit and bowled just five overs. "I felt like if I was going to play, I'd earned my opportunity.
"I guess it's just about concentrating on what's in front of me at the moment, not looking too far ahead, and just trying to enjoy playing cricket and hopefully put some scores on the board.
"Hopefully work on my bowling a bit and get an opportunity again."
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Connolly did not reveal where he would bat against the fifth-placed Vics having been a shock choice to open against powerhouses India in the knockout ODI in Dubai. It was only his third ODI innings and just the second time he had opened in List A cricket.
He was only added to Australia's squad after Matthew Short was ruled out with injury and then selected over Jake Fraser-McGurk and Aaron Hardie, who had both been tried as top-order players in the 50-over side over recent years.
Connnolly was worked over by Mohammad Shami who eventually nicked him off for a nine-ball duck.
After then dropping Rohit Sharma at backward point, Connolly redeemed himself when he trapped India's skipper lbw for his maiden international wicket. Virat Kohli would have been his second if Glenn Maxwell held on to a catch.
"Shami is a world class player for a reason. He's played a lot of cricket," said Connolly, who finished as his side's most economical bowler as India chased down 264 in the penultimate over.
"As a kid, you always want to represent your country, and to walk out there in a semi-final was an unbelievable experience, and I'll take a lot of learnings from it.
"In the end, it was a great game of cricket and I think we took a lot of learnings as a group from that.
"It's the game of cricket. You're going to miss out, you're going to drop a catch – you've got to get on with what's in front of you.
"That (drop off Rohit) was completely out of my mind by the time I was bowling, I was just trying to compete as much as I could and hopefully get a breakthrough for the team."
Sheffield Shield standings 2024-25
| Team | M | W | L | D | N/R | Ded. | Bat | Bowl | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
SA
|
9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5.46 | 8.3 | 51.76 |
|
2
QLD
|
9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7.5 | 8.3 | 36.8 |
|
3
NSW
|
9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6.99 | 7.4 | 35.39 |
|
4
WA
|
9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5.83 | 7.6 | 34.43 |
|
5
VIC
|
9 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5.19 | 8.3 | 32.49 |
|
6
TAS
|
9 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6.41 | 7.2 | 27.61 |
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
D: Drawn
N/R: No results
Ded.: Deductions
Bat: Batting Bonus
Bowl: Bowling Bonus
PTS: Total points