Cooper Connolly’s catch (Source: @FanCode/X)On Sunday, during the special Pink ODI between Australia and South Africa, Cooper Connolly plucked a catch of the year contender at The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg. In the process, Aiden Markram had to fall for a golden duck, that too on the very first ball of the innings. And with that, South Africa, who were 1-0 up in the three-match series, got off to the worst possible start. Australia, on the other hand, could not have asked for anything better.Flying Cooper Connolly Grabs Incredible CatchIn the absence of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood took the new ball in hand to open the innings for Australia. Markram, who replaced Tony de Zorzi in South Africa’s playing XI in the second ODI against Australia, tried to slap a short delivery outside the off stump.However, Connolly, placed at cover-point region, timed his jump in perfection to grab an absolute blinder, that too with just one hand.Watch Cooper Connolly's Catch Here:CREX @Crex_live This should be illegal, 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐲 🥶 #SAvAUS #ODI #Cricket Sep 27, 2026, 2:26 PM Also Read: When Did Pat Cummins Last Play An ODI Match For Australia?Connolly, who became Australia’s new No. 3 in ODIs, had 16 ODIs before the South Africa outing in Johannesburg. He had picked up five catches in this format for the country in this format.How Has Connolly Fared For Australia In ODIs?Now 23 years old, Connolly had played 16 matches in the ODI format since making his debut against England in Bristol in September 2024. Of them, he has batted in 13 outings, averaging 42.63, with 469 runs at a strike rate of 90.01.More significantly, Connolly has been in excellent form with the bat in ODIs. He made 149 runs in Mirpur against Bangladesh in June, and since then, he has scored 51, 78, 21 and 38 in consecutive innings before the Pink Day match.Besides, he has picked up nine wickets with his slow left-arm bowling, averaging 23.22 while maintaining an economy rate of 5.20.Other than that, Connolly has played one Test match and 14 T20Is for Australia. He has even been projected as a long-term Test replacement for Marnus Labuschagne.However, he is yet to make a significant impact in Tests and T20Is.When Connolly Made A Name For Himself In IPL 2026Cooper Connolly had a base price of INR 2 crore for the IPL 2026 auction. KKR and Punjab Kings battled fiercely with paddles to sign him until Shreyas Iyer’s current IPL team secured his services for INR 3 crore.And Connolly, coming as a like-for-like Josh Inglis replacement for Punjab Kings, did more than a decent job in IPL 2026. He had a strike rate of 163.12 across 13 innings, making 491 runs.Besides, he had one century and two half-centuries. His best IPL knock came against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), a match in which he made an unbeaten 107 off 59 balls.Also Read: Aiden Markram Joins Shameful List Of Records For South African Batters In ODIs
