In a thrilling Champions Trophy semi-final match between India and Australia, young Indian cricketer Shubman Gill received a warning from the umpire after taking a spectacular catch of opener Travis Head. According to the rule, a fielder must have complete control over the ball and their own movement before the catch is considered complete, and the umpire deemed that Gill released the ball too quickly after pouching it. However, this did not stop India from performing well as they got the wickets of Cooper Connolly and Head early on, with Australia reaching 76 for 2 after 15 overs. The Indian team is also honoring the late Padmakar Shivalkar by wearing black armbands during the match.
In a highly-anticipated semifinal match in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Team India got off to a fantastic start as star pacer Mohammed Shami removed Australian opener Cooper Connolly for a duck. Despite losing the toss for the 11th consecutive ODI game, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma celebrated as Shami's brilliance with the ball helped dismiss Connolly early on. Australia's decision to bat first proved costly as Shami and Varun Chakravarthy made crucial breakthroughs, ultimately leading to India's victory.
22-year-old all-rounder, Cooper Connolly from Australia was presented with cap number 471 by former Test cricketer Simon Katich before the second Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. Despite his young age and not having taken a wicket in four first-class matches, he was drafted into the playing XI to strengthen the Australian batting lineup. With a stellar first-class batting record and a scintillating performance in the BBL, Connolly's parents were present to witness his achievement and his form in the tournament made it impossible to drop him from the Test side.
Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva won the coin toss and opted to bat first against Australia in the 2nd and final Test of their ongoing series in Galle. Australia have given Test debut to another player in the ongoing tour with Cooper Connolly becoming the 471st player to play red-ball cricket for the country at international level. Australia have a 1-0 lead in the series having crushed Sri Lanka by an innings and 242 runs last week at the same venue.
Billy Connolly, the 81-year-old comedian, opened up about his ongoing battle with Parkinson's disease in a recent health update. Despite facing health struggles, the funnyman still has plans for the future and has approached collaborator, Mike Reilly, about working on a new project. Fans are hopeful to see Connolly's return to the stage after a few years of not being able to perform due to his memory and speech issues.