“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 setup. 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 Perth 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 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 AJ 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 AJ 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, mentored by then-coach Chris Rogers. Sco.
