Australia’s campaign at the Champions Trophy 2025 concluded with their semifinal loss on Tuesday against India in Dubai. Batting first, Australia made 264 in 49.3 overs. India reached the target without exerting extra effort and entered their third final in a row of the Champions Trophy.
Australia made a couple of changes in playing XI as they added Tanveer Sangha so that their spin options could be highly organized and Cooper Connolly as batting all-rounder.
Connolly opened in the match with Matt Short ruled out due to an injury. Unfortunately for Connolly, the debutant scored only a duck before being dismissed by India pacer Mohammed Shami after just nine balls.
Great Ian Healy has gone on to criticize Connolly for not respecting tough conditions. He stated that Connolly kept playing big shots all through.
“I got so mad. (When) opening Christopher Paterson was explaining how Robert had middle-wicket ball to him,” Healy told SEN Radio
“Cooper Connolly kept on swinging and he had to learn to work the ball into gaps and not swing for the fences under such conditions. Connolly went in for nine balls without scoring. A big red because he made a mistake and watched the first eight with the ninth nicked,” he continued.
According to Healy, Connolly could have tucked in and played himself in rather than attempting to hide behind hitting out.
“It was poor thought process that made me so angry. For one terrified moment, I could see him changing gear to bigger shots without noticing what Shami was doing,” Healy said.
Healy, who played 119 Tests and 168 ODIs, said Connolly was watching the gap in the field, but not the ball.
“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 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”, added Deano.
