Aussie young gun hints how he may fit into Test batting puzzle after white-ball breakout
Connolly staking claim for WC spot | 01:03
Dane Heverin from Fox SportsSeptember 18th, 2026 11:38 am
Cooper Connolly may have dropped the biggest hint yet about how Australia’s batting line-up might shape up for next month’s three-Test tour of South Africa.
The 23-year-old was recalled to the Test squad to tackle the World Test Championship winners after making his debut in the baggy green in Sri Lanka early last year and showed why he is so highly fancied by the national selectors in Australia’s 59-run win against Zimbabwe in the first ODI on Tuesday.
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The stylish left-hander smacked four fours and three sixes in his innings of 51 from 46 balls, getting Australia off to a solid start before Matt Renshaw’s maiden ODI century ensured the visitors’ posted a formidable total.
After scoring his maiden ODI ton – a match-winning 149 <a href="https://cricket.international/top-3-india-women-<a href="https://cricket.international/top-3-sri-lanka-women-players-to-watch-out-against-pakistan/” title=”Top 3: Sri Lanka Women Players to Watch Out Against Pakistan”>players-to-watch-out-against-bangladesh/” title=”Top 3: India Women Players to Watch Out Against Bangladesh”>against Bangladesh in Mirpur in June – opening the batting, Connolly is now occupying the No.3 position in Australia’s 50-over side with Travis Head and Mitch Marsh’s return to the team prompting a shift to first drop.
It is the spot he might take in the Test side.
Incumbent No.3 Marnus Labuschagne retained his place in Australia’s 16-man squad but his place in the team is in doubt with Australian legend Ricky Ponting declaring during last month’s Top End series against Bangladesh that the Queenslander’s position is “almost untenable” given his struggles.
Connolly’s sole Test appearance came batting at No.8, while supporting spinners Nathan Lyon and Matt Kuhnemann with his left arm tweakers on a turning track in Galle.
But Australia’s chairman of selectors George Bailey insisted when speaking to reporters after announcing the Test squad earlier this month that Connolly has been chosen as a batter.
He also suggested that Connolly is capable of batting at No.3 for Australia “whether that’s now, whether that’s in the future”.
The West Australian will jump at any opportunity to break into Pat Cummins’ Test XI, but in all but two of his 21 first-class innings has occupied a position between No.5 and No.8 in the batting order.
“When I get the opportunity, I’ll try to make the most of it, and whether that’s at three or it’s in the middle order, I’m more than happy to play in either position,” Connolly told media on the eve of Friday’s second ODI in Harare.
“It’s a strong Test squad and they’ve been strong for a long period of time. It’s just about trying to learn as much as possible from guys of like Smudge (Steve Smith) and ‘Heady’.”
Those two pillars of Australia’s batting order may hold the key to fitting Connolly into the Test puzzle.
The youngster is modelling his game on Head, and since the South Australian made to the top of the order during last summer’s Ashes series, the Australians have felt the absence of an aggressive, counter-attacker in the middle order.
Cameron Green was excellent against Bangladesh in Head’s old spot of No.5.
Green compiled a maiden hundred on Australian soil in a losing effort in Darwin before being the only batter to reach fifty in the two-day bowler blitz in Mackay.
But a promotion could be in order.
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David Warner told Code Sports last week that “Smudge will bat three” in South Africa and the Fox Cricket commentator could be on the money.
That would mean Smith moving to No.3, Green shifting up to No.4 – where he scored a career best 174* in New Zealand when Smith briefly opened the batting in 2024 – and Connolly slotting in at No.5 with Labuschagne losing his place.
If Connolly, who is yet to score a first-class century, can continue to learn from Head, it could be the best fit.
“I probably get into Heady’s brain a little bit because I feel like I play a similar way in red-ball cricket to him,” Connolly said.
“So just understanding how he goes about it and how he reads the game. I think over the last two or three years I’ve sort of understood his game a little bit more as I’ve played with him a little bit longer.
“It’s just taking the learnings from everyone in the group, the people that have played a lot of Test cricket for Australia, and understanding what it’s like to play in all these different conditions when I’m on these tours.
“It’s about understanding and learning more and more of other players – you start to bring in things that they use that might work for your game.”
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For the immediate future, Connolly has his sights firmly on his white-ball commitments even if it is hard to ignore the prospect of donning the baggy green again.
As well as scoring runs, he also returned to the bowling crease for the first time in roughly five months after a back issue.
The silver lining of the lay-off was that Connolly’s batting has come on in leaps and bounds while being his sole focus.
A breakout IPL campaign for the Ponting coached Punjab Kings highlighted that before his Bangladesh ton.
But he took 1/23 from his four overs in the first ODI and if he can chip in with valuable overs, it is a massive boost to the Australian side, who need to squeeze ten overs out of their batting all-rounders following the retirement of Glenn Maxwell last year.
“It was great to be back bowling, to be honest,” he said. “I’ve certainly had to concentrate on batting, but obviously I did miss bowling.
“I’ve bowled for most of my life, so it’s been a little bit of a different way to go about training. I’d go and have a hit, and then I’d have nothing to do.
“But it was a nice, required break for my back, and I’m feeling good now, trending in the right direction. I’ll just slowly keep building towards more and more overs as time goes on.”
Zimbabwe v Australia 1st ODI Highlights | 16:30
Being in Africa with the ODI side also means that Connolly cannot help but cast his mind forward to next year’s World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
After being a last-minute addition to Australia’s Champions Trophy squad last year, he is certainly putting his best foot forward to earn a World Cup debut.
“I’d love to be on that tour,” he said. “It’s obviously a dream to play in a one-day World Cup.”
“I’d love to bat in the top order, but the one-day team’s been a strong team for a while, and they’ve always been strong at the top. So it’s just trying to be as versatile as possible and if I can nail that opportunity, so be it. But if there’s another opportunity down the order where I’m going to fit in, I’m more than happy to fit in there.”
Source: www.foxsports.com.au
