Who is Cooper Connolly? The story behind Australian cricket’s newest wildcard

“Mate, we can do this.”

Cooper Connolly’s composure has already taken him a long way; Australia’s selectors now hope his combination of calmness and power will help the 20-year-old grow into one of the most important role players in the national set-up.

The aforementioned words were uttered by Connolly a little over a year ago, when he walked out to join Nick Hobson at the pointy end of the 2023 Big Bash League final.

Thirty-nine runs were still required from 19 balls at a heaving Optus Stadium. Hobson had just run out Scorchers captain Ashton Turner and needed to refocus. After the unheralded pair sealed victory with a flurry of sixes, the older man raved about Connolly.

Cooper Connolly of the Scorchers bats during the 2022-23 Men’s Big Bash League final.Credit: Getty Images

“Cooper has an amazing head on his shoulders for a teenager,” Hobson said, after the stadium reverberated to chants of “Cooper, Cooper”.

“He’s a lot more calming than a kid should be in that position.”

A young Cooper Connolly with Perth Scorchers quick A.J. Tye.Credit: Perth Scorchers

Partly, this comes from being around cricket for a long time. Connolly’s father, Shane, played alongside the Scorchers, WA and Australia seam bowler, A.J. Tye – a friendship passed down to his son for the Scarborough club and then the BBL team.

But Connolly has also become familiar with taking on key roles: He was captain of Australia at the under-19 World Cup in 2022 and also played in the 2020 edition, mentored by then-coach Chris Rogers.

Scorchers and WA coach Adam Voges was sure enough about Connolly to play him ahead of Ashton Agar at times in 2023. Now the national panel, led by George Bailey, has done likewise – picking him as the T20 spinning all-rounder and also thinking ahead to other formats.

Earlier this year, an injury to Cameron Bancroft allowed Connolly to be chosen for the Sheffield Shield final. On debut, he fashioned a high tempo innings of 90, further burnishing his credentials to be part of the national team’s evolution.

“I think as a kid, you dream of wearing the baggy green and that is still the idea,” Connolly said last week. “It might take a few years but I’m just happy to be playing cricket and doing something that I love.”

In South Asia, in particular, the role of a left-arm spinner who can bat is sought after in Tests, as well as in T20s. Connolly’s elevation to tour England next month may well be the start of a multi-format career, even if the balance of the WA state side may not mean he is first picked in the Shield.

“I think we have a number of opportunities where we can create that [for him],” Bailey said. “There’s a number of Australia A games, there’s some CA XI games if we feel like we want to keep providing red ball experience he might not be getting elsewhere.

Cooper Connolly during day one of the Sheffield Shield final earlier this year.Credit: Getty Images

“He hasn’t played a great many games of cricket yet, but we really like his versatility. His work through the middle order for the Scorchers has been really impressive. Handy left-arm spin as well, which is something we’re really keen to keep exploring and see where that goes with his cricket.

“If you look at T20 specifically for Cooper, that ability to bat from four to seven, we find it is a challenging spot to find and maintain players through that area. That’s where he’s had the majority of his opportunities and that’s where we’ve liked the skill set he’s provided. Who knows where he can get to.”

Josh Inglis has been promoted to full-time T20 wicketkeeper, replacing Matthew Wade; Bailey also indicated that Inglis remained ahead of Alex Carey as ODI gloveman.

Mitch Marsh’s leadership at the recent T20 World Cup has been given a tick of approval by the national selectors despite the team’s elimination at the super eights stage, with shoddy fielding deemed the major reason for the team’s early exit in the Caribbean.

“I loved the way he captained through the T20 World Cup,” Bailey said. “He was really clear on how he wanted to lead that team. He was as disappointed as anyone that we didn’t get to the end goal that everyone was hoping to achieve, but if you look at his early success rate as a captain across T20, he’s done a really great job.”

Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie and Xavier Bartlett have all been handed call-ups after making their international debuts last summer, while Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc and Matt Short will take their places in the ODI matches after missing the T20 games.

Bailey explained that Pat Cummins was always going to be rested from the UK trip irrespective of his decision to sign up for the US-based Major League Cricket tournament with the San Francisco Unicorns, where he has just arrived after a holiday during which he was a guest in the royal box at Wimbledon.

Australia T20 squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa.

Australia ODI squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa.

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