The Western Australia batter showed flair and maturity in coming agonisingly close to becoming the second-youngest centurion in a Shield final
Tristan Lavalette22-Mar-2024When Clint Heron presented Cooper Connolly with his Western Australia cap before the Sheffield Shield final, he referenced Shaun Marsh during his speech.Former opener Heron was once a WA team-mate of Marsh, who recently retired after two decades in professional career, and has been Connolly’s batting coach.Heron, the president of Scarborough Cricket Club where Connolly plays, has undoubtedly long seen the similarities with Marsh, who was a clean striker of the ball and particularly excelled in the mid-on and mid-off areas.Those skills were on full display at the WACA over the first two days of the final with Connolly, 20, thwarting Tasmania’s fightback and navigating a tricky surface with a brilliant 90 off 115 balls to lift WA to a strong first-innings total.Related
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It was his first half-century in his professional career, with Connolly having played four List A and 15 T20 matches previously. He is just the fourth player to debut in a Sheffield Shield final and he came agonisingly close to becoming the second-youngest centurion in a final behind Phillip Hughes.Comparisons to Marsh, one of WA’s most prolific batters and particularly stylish at the crease, might feel sacrilegious but coaches in and around the WA setup can’t help themselves.”I’ll happily take that [comparisons to Marsh],” grinned Connolly after day two. “He’s one of my favourite players. I like modelling my game on him. I like the way he went about it and hit the ball.”Connolly’s first-class debut had been a while coming. He missed out on WA’s season-opener against Victoria after breaking a toe during a freak accident on a boat.He returned in the BBL for Perth Scorchers and was also part of WA’s Marsh Cup triumph against New South Wales, but he had not been able to squeeze into the Shield team.Strong performances for Scarborough and an understandable desire from WA’s hierarchy to give him a chance led to Connolly being a surprise inclusion in the Shield final.Connolly was “pretty emotional” when he found out about his selection and soaked it all in with his parents. “As I got to the ground, I got a little bit more nervous,” he admitted.But Connolly did not seem daunted by the situation when he entered the crease early in the final session of day one with WA in the midst of a middle-order collapse. He drove hard at his first ball and edged between second slip and gully for a boundary.It was streaky, but Connolly did not hold back and clubbed a couple of sixes, including one that sailed high down the ground and into the lower tier of the Lillee-Marsh Stand.Connolly raced to his half-century before showcasing maturity beyond his years by playing watchfully to ensure he made it through to stumps. “He reigned [it in] and balanced the aggression really well late in the day,” WA captain Sam Whiteman said. “It’s just a kid that’s got no scars about batting and just goes out and sees the ball and hits the ball. He’s so talented.”Connolly entered day two on 73 with a place in the history books beckoning. Anticipation was high with a steady stream of patrons arriving early and they were soon cheering his every run.But with fielders spread far and wide, as he batted with No. 11 Corey Rocchiccioli , Connolly was in two minds and edged seamer Iain Carlisle to slip to cut his dreams short.”Would have been nice to get the century,” Connolly said. “But it’s all about team success this week and hopefully we can get a three-peat.”Connolly is already proving he has a knack for producing on the big stage having memorably lifted Scorchers over the line of last year’s BBL final against Brisbane Heat at Optus Stadium.”Going back to that [final], it’s 50,000 [crowd]…I think I’ve become a more adaptable player and able to handle different situations,” he said. “I actually don’t mind a bit of pressure. I feel like that suits the sort of style of person I am.”Connolly, a genuine allrounder with his slow left-arm spin, might also play a role with the ball having been given a go on the last over of the second day’s play. “I’d like to, but hopefully I don’t have to bother,” he said.”Hopefully the five main bowlers get it done. It looks like that could be the way for us.”
