Australia’s newest Test tourist is heading to Sri Lanka with limited first-class experience, a bizarre history of injuries and a skill set that could serve well on the subcontinent for years to come.
A broken toe jumping from a boat cost Cooper Connolly one red-ball debut.And the 21-year-old bolter’s composure under fire, up-tempo hitting and left-arm finger spin may yet deliver a baggy green in Sri Lanka.comes with just four first-class games under his belt and not a single wicket from them for Western Australia, where he has only bowled a part-timer’s 16 overs.
An awkward landing jumping from a boat left him needing surgery on a badly broken toe, and raised his profile in the Big Bash for Perth once he returned, where he had alreadyYet, when Cameron Bancroft hit his head in a cycling accident just days out from last year’s Sheffield Shield final, WA had little hesitation tossing him into the fray for his first-class debut.Three players had made their debuts previously with state honours on the line: Alan Mullally , Martin Love and Nick Kruger .
“He was obviously the beneficiary of that … He’s someone that we’ve had our eye on for a period of time. We like what we’re seeing. Clearly, there’s lots of work to go.” Victorian Jack Saunders, who played his last Test in 1908, has taken the most wickets of all Australian left-arm spinners with just 79.
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