Image: Steve Smith believes Connolly could be crucial in Sri Lanka’s conditions / © Cricket Australia
For the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, Australia’s stand-in captain, Steve Smith, played a key role in advocating for Cooper Connolly’s inclusion in the squad. Despite Connolly being relatively inexperienced with just four first-class matches and no wickets to his name, Smith believes the 21-year-old left-arm all-rounder could be crucial in Sri Lanka’s spin-friendly conditions.
Smith drew inspiration from India’s successful combination of left-arm spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, who complement each other in Indian conditions. Smith emphasized the benefits of having spinners who can bowl in different directions, as demonstrated by India’s strategy. He said:
I was quite big on someone like Cooper coming in to be able to spin the ball away. You watch India play in India and they have Axar [Patel] and [Ravindra] Jadeja, if one of their spinners get tired or nothing’s happening they can turn to another spinner. I like the fit, just having a couple of spinners going each way. It matches up really nicely.
With Australia already having left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann in the squad, Connolly’s selection might strengthen their spin attack. Connolly himself expressed confidence in his bowling, acknowledging improvements in the past 18 months. Given the team’s emphasis on spin, Connolly may make his Test debut in the Sri Lanka tour.