Cooper Connolly had me in that moment. It wasn’t only the bounce he generated but also the natural flourish that came along with it. We’re not talking about the youngster with ball in hand here. But the way he threw his blond mane back just before putting on his brand-new baggy green for the first time. It was pure class. And yes, it did seem to fit well.
Only a few yards to his left stood proud parents Shane and Donna. The fifth set of proud parents in the past seven Tests Australia has played to witness a dream moment for their kid. If anything, they looked more nervous than he did, before and after Simon Katich had presented him with his Test cap.
These young Aussie kids, I tell you. All cool and unflustered. Without a worry in the world. Even if they’re about to make their Test debut.
Connolly wasn’t in the first three groups of players to walk out to the middle at the start of the day. Alex Carey had already been going through his wicketkeeping drills, as he does each morning, for nearly 25 minutes when the Western Australian all-rounder walked down the steps of the Aussie dressing room. Steve Smith and Nathan Lyon by then must have walked up and down the pitch nearly half a dozen times, inspecting various sections of it. As had every other Australian player who’d made their way to the middle. All except Connolly.
The 21-year-old did walk in the direction of the pitch, but a mere glance is what he threw at it. He didn’t seem too bothered about wanting to analyse it like the others. Instead, he went straight to the group of teammates who’d started a customary game of keepy-uppy and stepped right in. It was all laughter and fun. Like it was any other day. Not the most special morning of his young life and younger career.
There were hugs and kisses from his parents, the well-liked couple from Duncraig beaming, before the junior Connolly was welcomed officially into the Test cricket family by his teammates. Only then did the left-arm spinner pick up a ball and start bowling on the side pitch under the gaze of assistant coach Daniel Vettori.
What a thrill for the young man, even if he wasn’t giving away much. By this time, he’d taken his baggy green off and placed it back in the bag, to be worn again next when on the field.
It wasn’t quite as audacious as Sam Konstas a few weeks ago asking his senior teammates about when “the nerves kick in” because he was feeling none on debut. But there was an air of confidence with Connolly as he finally got to stride out to the field as a Test player. Unlike Konstas, he didn’t have the opportunity to stand arm in arm with his teammates and sing the Australian national anthem.
According to those who saw him grow up in Perth, nothing has changed in terms of the way he carries himself and the confidence he has in his own game. They remember a sweet yet mouthy kid sitting around the boundaries of grade cricket matches involving his father and shouting “My dad’s going to get you out” as Shane ran in to bowl his left-arm swingers in first-grade Suburban Turf matches in WA.
It’s been pretty evident in the way he’s gone about his cricket at every level he’s been exposed to, as well. From his exploits in the Big Bash final a couple of summers ago to his innings in the Sheffield Shield final for WA or even the handful of white-ball matches he’s played for his country.
And it’s been evident in the way he’s been on his maiden Test tour so far. In the way he’s batted alongside the likes of Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja in the nets here. And the way he’s bowled at them, both here and in Dubai. It was the way he adjusted to bowling on these pitches that convinced his captain he was good enough to be the third spin option on a pitch expected to turn square.
National selector Tony Dodemaide got a first-hand view of it when Connolly was part of a young squad of first-class players in Chennai to play against a MRF Pace Foundation team last August. Connolly’s selection on Thursday is both out of left field as well as seemingly inevitable when compared with when Konstas got his cap on Boxing Day.
With just four first-class matches to his credit – only Pat Cummins had played fewer – three in all – at the time of making his Test debut for Australia.
Not to forget he had bowled just 96 deliveries in first-class cricket before delivering two overs before the lunch break – including a maiden – on his first morning as a Test cricketer.
But there were vibes and a feel around a Connolly debut two days out from the Test. He was the first in the nets with the bat on Tuesday and would have spent a good 40 minutes in there, using his feet and his hands in lovely fashion. He then bowled close to 10 overs with his left-arm spin, being consistent and incisive as his spell progressed.
There will be questions about the lack of specialist depth in the bowling attack for this second Test. Both Smith and the selectors, though, have been convinced by Connolly’s skills and his composure to be backed in with the ball, even if it’s his batting that could be a massive bonus if the surface does explode as is expected.
Being a left-arm spinner in these conditions would have helped too, considering the damage that style of bowling does produce in this part of the world, as seen with Matthew Kuhnemann’s nine wickets in the first Test.
Connolly has been winning over his senior teammates on and off the field. He was spotted spending a lot of time with those of his generation, from Konstas to Ollie Peake, while they were around. He has also become a popular dinner mate for the more seasoned members of the touring group, dining out with the likes of Mitchell Starc and Khawaja.
And there’s good reason to believe he’ll win over Australia, too, with bat, ball and that golden mane.
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