Remember the title Cooper Connolly.
The 19-year-old has grow to be an prompt cult hero after his late fireworks helped steer the Perth Scorchers to an exhilarating fifth Big Bash title.
Chasing 176 in opposition to the Brisbane Heat, the Scorchers seemed in bother at 5/137 within the seventeenth over when captain Ashton Turner was run out in disastrous vogue for 53.
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Enter Connolly, who in simply his fourth BBL sport, struck 25 off 11 balls to assist the Scorchers chase down the goal with 4 balls to spare.
The Scorchers wanted 38 runs off the final three overs however the teenager hit two large sixes and a boundary to make it a sensible activity.
At the opposite finish, Nick Hobson completed on 18 not out (7 balls) because the Scorchers someway chased down the overall to seal one more BBL triumph.
Connolly’s heroics had been much more outstanding given he’d beforehand solely confronted 11 balls within the match and had little massive sport expertise aside from captaining Australia finally yr’s ICC Under-19 World Cup.
His cameo despatched the document crowd of 53,886 at Perth Stadium completely berserk as his blonde mullet billowed out the again of his helmet.
“Who is this guy?”, Usman Khawaja muttered as members of the Heat and Scorchers watched the ultimate from the Australian Test staff’s resort in India.
Now everybody is aware of who Cooper Connolly is.
He is now solely the second teenager to have performed in a successful Big Bash Final facet.
“You talk about fairytales, you could not dream this stuff up,” Adam Gilchrist mentioned on Fox Cricket.
“I sent Cooper Connolly a message yesterday, last night. I just said, ‘All the best, you’ve done everything you can. Just go out and enjoy it’.
“He messaged back and said, ‘I can’t wait to go out and soak it all up’. He’s got a lifetime memory there.”
Injured Scorchers all-rounder Mitch Marsh mentioned: “I said to him before the game today, ‘If you get an opportunity, make sure you take the game on, enjoy yourself, enjoy this crowd’,” Marsh informed Fox Cricket.
“He turned around to me and said, ‘Don’t worry mate, I’ll be there at the end with my arms up in the air’.”
“It just gives me that extra boost that I can play at this level,” Connolly mentioned after the match, joking that he wouldn’t should pay for a beer in Perth this weekend.
“A couple of games ago I wasn’t too sure and this was like I can play on the big stage and I’m confident in myself that I can perform under pressure.
“Not many 19-year-olds get to play in front of 50,000 so I’m just here to soak it all in and enjoy the moment.
“I’m so grateful for the crowd because they helped us get over the line.”
Source: www.news.com.au
