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Why Ian Healy was getting "so angry" watching Cooper Connolly's Champions Trophy innings
Charles Goodsir • March 5th, 2025 1:16 pm
Former Australian wicket keeper and SENQ’s Ian Healy has delivered a scathing assessment of Cooper Connolly’s innings in the Champions Trophy semi-final against India.
Connolly was a late addition to Australia’s Champions Trophy squad a few days prior and was surprisingly picked to open the batting ahead of specialist opener Jake Fraser-McGurk.
The 21-year-old West Australian looked out of his depth against India’s bowling attack and was dismissed for a nine-ball duck after a flurry of swing and misses.
Australia was dismissed for 264 with India eventually chasing down the target with four wickets and 11 balls in hand.
“I got so angry,” Healy said on SENQ Breakfast.
“Travis Head was gesturing about how slow the wicket was to his partner (in Connolly).
“Cooper Connolly just kept swinging. In those conditions, you have to work the ball around into gaps and not swing (for the fences).
“He faced nine balls for nought. A duck and he played and missed at the first eight and then nicked the ninth.
“He was swiping away, square on the off-side and just not watching the ball at all.
“Mohammad Shami was the bowler and I was just getting so angry. It was such poor thinking and when you’re batting in tough conditions, you have got to work hard.
“There were three and a half hours of hard work (to be had there) and it was just reckless thinking rather than getting the ball on the bat and using your footwork.
“Connolly’s footwork was absent, his shot selection was poor and his technique of the shot was poor because he wasn’t watching the ball.
“His head was watching the gap (in the field) where he thought the ball was going to go and he kept missing it all the time.”
India will either face New Zealand or South Africa in the 2025 Champions Trophy Final.
