He is likely to bat at the No.7 spot.
Australia are strongly considering handing a debut to young talent Cooper Connolly for the upcoming second SL vs AUS Test, slated to start tomorrow (February 6) at Galle.
The reason behind the move is to exploit Connolly’s left-arm orthodox spin on Galle’s turning tracks, apart from his batting.
Although the 21-year-old has bowled just 96 balls in First Class cricket and is yet to take a wicket, his left-arm spin has looked extremely effective in training sessions in both Dubai and Galle, generating some eye-catching turn and bounce at times.
It is understood that Connolly would most likely come in to bat at seven behind wicketkeeper Alex Carey. However, the Australian team will take the final call on their lineup after completing their last training session on Wednesday (February 5).
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If Connolly receives his Baggy Green cap, it would likely come at the expense of either Beau Webster, who wasn’t required to bowl last week due to the less spin-friendly pitch, or Todd Murphy.
Echoing on the same lines, stand-in captain Steve Smith was quoted as saying by the Age.com.au,
“It’s another batter that bowls more than handy spin, and spins the same way as [Matt] Kuhnemann. We’ve got a few that go the same way as Nathan [Lyon] and Todd [Murphy].”
When asked about Webster, Smith acknowledged that he considered Travis Head a more suitable bowling option in these conditions. However, Head bowled only two overs in the first Test, despite having taken four wickets in a single innings at this venue in 2022.
Regarding Murphy, who managed just one wicket in the first Test, Smith expressed his preference for having three specialist spinners to account for fatigue or any unfavourable match-ups.
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