Western Australian whizkid Cooper Connolly has vaulted into the Australian squad to tour Scotland and England next month, while Mitchell Marsh has effectively been endorsed to lead the national T20 side to the next World Cup in 2026. Twenty-year-old Connolly, who put on some eye-catching displays for WA and the Perth Scorchers, has replaced Ashton Agar as the spin all-rounder in the T20 squad for next month’s tour, while Marsh will captain the Australian side in both T20 and ODI matches because Pat Cummins is resting. Cooper Connolly of the Scorchers bats during the Men’s Big Bash League final.
Credit: Getty Images Josh Inglis has also been promoted to be full-time T20 wicketkeeper, replacing Matthew Wade. 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. After leading the Australian under-19s side at the 2022 World Cup, Connolly made waves with his early displays for the Scorchers in the Big Bash League , and last summer made his first-class debut in the Sheffield Shield final where he fashioned an up-tempo innings of 90 .
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.