Australia’s upcoming superb all-rounder, Cooper Connolly, has been ruled out of the upcoming three-match T20I series against Pakistan. The series will start on November 14 at the Gabba in Brisbane and run for the entire week. The development has come on the back of his fractured left hand.
Cooper Connolly took part in the third and final ODI against Pakistan at the Optus Stadium in Perth after all the prime Test players of the home side were given a break, keeping in mind the upcoming five-match Test series against India in the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
The 21-year-old was stuck horribly by the speedster of the Green Brigade, Mohammad Hussain, in the decider. In trying to pull the short ball, the left-handed batter was tucked into the glove on the second ball of the 17th over. In the heat of the moment, he decided to carry on but could face only one more delivery before realizing the potential trouble.
Perth Scorchers keeps a close look on the recovery of Cooper Connolly
The physios ran out in the middle, and after a quick assessment, the all-rounder was dragged off the field before going for scans, which revealed the full extent of the injury. The war of 16 deliveries where he notched up seven runs came to an before the Aussies were blown away for another poor first-inning score of 140 in less than 32 overs in the fixture.
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Under the standing captain Josh Inglis, the home side kept displaying their second-worst performance with the ball in just three days as they could pick up only two wickets of the opponent’s team, who grabbed their first ODI series victory in Australia since 2002.
The spokesperson from the Cricket Australia (CA) confirmed the fracture to the fourth metacarpal of Cooper Connolly on the left hand. The latter will consult a specialist in Perth on November 11 (Monday), as the wicket-keeper batter from New South Wales (NSW), Josh Philippe, has been added to the squad as the replacement of the Western Australian for the upcoming T20I series.
The injury has been a huge blow to the selector’s hopes of growing the stature of the 21-year-old, who is considered to be the next big thing in their country across formats. In 17 T20s, the youngster has smashed 226 runs at an average of 28.25 and a strike rate of 145.80, besides coming in to bowl a few overs in the middle to pick up six wickets at an economy rate of 7.55.
Even in the longest format of the game, Cooper Connolly can be addressed as the future of the game. The left-handed batter has featured in four fixtures, smacking 309 runs at an average of 61.80 and a strike rate of 64.64 with the help of three half-centuries at the best score of 90.
He was recently part of the A-clash against India at Mackay, where he managed the crucial knock of 37 runs on a pitch where batting was one of the hardest jobs.
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With the Big Bash League (BBL) 2024/25 starting a little over a month from December 15, the Perth Scorchers side will keep an eye on the recovery of Cooper Connolly, who could be racing against the time to get fit for their opening encounter against the Melbourne Stars at home.
The finishing skills with the bat, especially the quality to nail the left-arm spinners, something which was absent in Australian cricket for a long time, will always keep Cooper Connolly ahead in the selection.