Australia picked Cooper Connolly as their opener for the Champions Trophy semi-final, despite him opening just once in List A cricket before the game.
Connolly was called in to replace the injured Matt Short, who has a quad issue he picked up during his side’s game with Afghanistan. Connolly, a left-hand batter and a left-arm spinner was also a travelling reserve with the side and was ready to be drafted into the squad immediately for the semis. He had played just three ODIs before the India clash, making 10 runs with a best score of 7*.
Why has he been picked for the semi-final?
While Connolly lacks experience as an opener, Australia found themselves with limited options. Josh Inglis and Alex Carey, both potential opening options, have rarely opened in competitive cricket, and the team management would have been reluctant to disrupt the middle order, where their expertise against spin will be crucial.
Inglis has a strike rate of 94.56 against the slower bowlers since the last ODI World Cup, while Carey averages 76 and strikes at 102.01. With mainstays Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne prone to getting stuck in the middle against them, Inglis and Carey can be useful in breaking any kind of rut.
Additionally, the move to use Connolly as an opener gives Australia flexibility. Instead of exposing an inexperienced batter to the middle overs, where spin is expected to dominate, they handed him a freer role in the powerplay. With only two fielders outside the inner circle, he would have been given the license to play aggressively. However, it didn't turn out well for him as he was eventually dismissed for a nine-ball duck, struggling to read Mohammed Shami's line and lengths.
1st Semi-Final, India vs Australia
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Australia also had the option of playing Jake Fraser-McGurk at the top. Fraser-McGurk has played seven ODIs without much success either, making 98 runs at an average of 14. He, however, would have been a like-for-like replacement for Short, having opened in six of the seven ODIs he played.
However, Connolly’s selection over a specialist opener like Fraser-McGurk is likely attributed to the additional bowling dimension he brings. A left-arm spinner, Connolly offers variety to Australia’s attack. India have gone in with four slower bowlers on a surface that is expected to have plenty of assistance for them; but with extremely bowler-friendly wickets bridging the gap between the good and the great, it was a gamble worth taking.
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