Cooper Connolly short on runs, but thriving with the ball despite starting the season in fine form with the bat.
Cooper Connolly in search of runs, but shining with the ball.
As the rising star of the Perth Scorchers fights a rare batting slump ahead of a thrilling Qualifier matchup with the Sydney Sixers in Perth, Cooper Connolly has been advised to just have more faith in himself.
This BBL season, Connolly—who is a member of Australia’s T20 World Cup team—has emerged as an unexpected opening-over weapon with the ball, taking 13 wickets at an average of 15.38.
Connolly now has five first-over wickets this season after dismissing Joe Clarke and Tom Rogers in Saturday night’s six-wicket victory over the Melbourne Stars.
Connolly has the greatest average and economy (6.66) among the top 10 wicket-takers this season, and his left-arm spin is difficult to deal with.
But after a strong start to the season, his hitting has drastically declined. With strong starts of 59 and 77, Connolly was well on his way to matching or surpassing the 351 runs at an average of 50.14 from the previous season.
But since then, he has only scored 61 runs in his last eight innings, bringing his season average down to 19.70. With scores of 2, 18, 0, 3, 0, and 4, his last six innings have been very poor.
“I think he just needs to trust himself. The runs will come,” Richardson said. “He’s too good not to get a couple of scores. He just needs to be confident and back himself.
“And I think Coops just needs to remember that he’s still influencing the game for us. I know he’s not getting the runs that he would like, but he’s still having a really big impact [with the ball].”
Despite Connolly’s batting difficulties, Scorchers ended first in the league thanks to players like Ashton Turner, Finn Allen, Mitchell Marsh, and Aaron Hardie who all delivered game-winning blows this season. Laurie Evans and Josh Inglis are also members of what is undoubtedly the league’s best batting lineup.
The Scorchers-Sixers winner will advance directly to the grand final on Sunday, while the losing team will host a crucial Challenger game on Friday either the Melbourne Stars or Hobart Hurricanes.
On Wednesday night, the Hurricanes and Stars square off in a knockout match at Bellerive Oval.