Cooper Connolly: Inside the whirlwind rise of Australia’s 22-year-old all-rounder

Cooper Connolly of Australia looks to the stand while walking from the field aslight rain halts play during game one of the One Day International series between Australia and India at Perth Stadium on October 19, 2025 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)

New Delhi: For Cooper Connolly, the last 18 months have unfolded at a pace that has barely allowed him to pause, let alone reflect. International debuts across formats, a five-wicket haul against South Africa, an Indian Premier League (IPL) contract worth Rs 3 crore with Punjab Kings, and now a place in Australia’s T20 World Cup squad. It is the kind of rapid ascent that defines a generation, yet Connolly himself admits he has hardly had the chance to take stock. “I think the rapid rise has been something I haven't really looked back yet. Everything's happened pretty fast over the last 12 to 18 months. I think, yeah, over the last 18 months I've sort of made my debut in all three formats. It's been pretty surreal, to be honest,” he tells TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interaction from Perth. The speed of his journey is such that reflection has been postponed, not avoided. “I’m sure over the next couple of weeks, couple of months, I'll look back over the last little bit. But yeah, there's not a lot of time to look back because there's always cricket moving forward,” he says.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! What anchors the 22-year-old, though, is perspective. Connolly understands what it means to wear the Australian colours. “It's obviously an honour to represent your country in all three formats. And I think obviously getting a little bit of taste in all three makes you want it a little bit more,” adds Connolly.

Cooper Connolly of Australia A bats during day two of the match between Australia A and India A at Great Barrier Reef Arena on November 01, 2024 in Mackay, Australia. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)

That hunger has become a defining feature of Connolly’s rise. There is no sense of arrival, only momentum. “So yeah, just looking forward to getting stuck in and playing some cricket. But yeah, it's been a whirlwind sort of 18 months and yeah, I feel very privileged to be in the position I'm in at the moment,” says the Australian all-rounder.

The phone call that changed everything

Before the international caps and global stages, there was a far more ordinary setting. A school classroom. An English lesson. A phone vibrating in his pocket. “It was exciting. I got the phone call when I was still in school,” he shares.

Cooper Connolly of Australia poses with the baggy green after he was named as a debutant during day one of the Second Test match in the series between Sri Lanka and Australia at Galle International Stadium on February 06, 2025 in Galle, Sri Lanka. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

Connolly still remembers the exact moment. “So as exciting as it was at school, I was actually in an English class and told my teacher that I have to go outside to take an important phone call. I went outside, took the phone call and yeah, it was pretty surreal.” Western Australia had offered him a rookie contract, a moment that instantly shifted his understanding of what cricket could become. “I guess the phone call that told me I was going to be contracted with Western Australia as a rookie was always exciting. And I'll always remember that day. It was a great day. It made school much more enjoyable for me,” he says. Beyond the excitement it was also deeper realisation.

Cooper Connolly of Australia looks on during day one of the Second Test match in the series between Sri Lanka and Australia at Galle International Stadium on February 06, 2025 in Galle, Sri Lanka. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

“I think that moment when I got contracted, it was like, okay, this is potentially and hopefully where my future lies. I think at that sort of age, I was like, this is exciting. I've never experienced sort of a professional setup before,” says Connolly. Connolly’s instinct was to absorb everything around him. “I was just looking to learn and I guess get better every day that I could,” he recollects. Born in Perth, Connolly shaped his batting around fellow Western Australia batter Shaun Marsh. Incidentally, Marsh also began his IPL journey with the same franchise in 2008 and went on to finish with the Orange Cap. “I just let on some of the guys like Shaun Marsh, just some experience around the group and tried to get out as much as I could in my first couple of years.”

Family as the constant

Not many anticipated Connolly’s rise to this level would come so swiftly, but excitement around the big-hitting all-rounder with his trademark surfer-blonde locks had been growing for a while.

Cooper Connolly of Australia poses with the baggy green and his parents Shane Connolly and Donna Connolly after he was named as a debutant during day one of the Second Test match in the series between Sri Lanka and Australia at Galle International Stadium on February 06, 2025 in Galle, Sri Lanka. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

Even before becoming the first 16-year-old since Shaun Marsh to register a half-century at an Under-19 World Cup, Connolly was already drawing notice in junior cricket at Scarborough, where his father Shane once played and later served as his coach. Through every transition, Connolly’s family remained his foundation. “Family is always important to everyone. I think mom and dad have always been really supportive of me. And they've also been my harshest critics, especially my dad,” he says. At home, cricket conversations are both grounding and constructive.

Cooper Connolly of Australia is presented with his cap by Simon Katich after he was named as a debutant during day one of the Second Test match in the series between Sri Lanka and Australia at Galle International Stadium on February 06, 2025 in Galle, Sri Lanka. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

“My dad's always, when I come home, he's always looking to, I guess, help me get better and always congratulating me on my success. Dad's been a great role model for me. He's obviously played cricket when he was younger and he's only just sort of given it up playing veterans,” Connolly adds. What Connolly admires most is the person his father became through the game. “He never got to the elite level as a cricketer, but just seeing him, I guess, evolve as a person and watching, I guess, the people around him, how much they enjoyed his company,” says the Perth Scorchers cricketer. Those lessons endure. “They obviously understand there's a lot more to life than just cricket,” he says.

Cooper Connolly of Australia is congratulated by his father Shane Connolly after he was named as a debutant during day one of the Second Test match in the series between Sri Lanka and Australia at Galle International Stadium on February 06, 2025 in Galle, Sri Lanka. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

Even today, feedback is offered thoughtfully. “He does, but he doesn't touch on it too much. He just goes, what were you thinking? He sort of just takes me back to when I was younger. And I guess that feeling of what it was like to play when I was younger with the enjoyment of the game.”

Shaun Marsh and shaping a batting identity

While Connolly avoids labelling Shaun Marsh as a formal mentor, the influence is unmistakable. Cooper Connolly has pinched Shaun Marsh's stance, his cover drive and now his playing number. But the nerveless young allrounder has made his own name en route to his international debut. “I wouldn't say he's sort of a mentor. I feel like if I could approach him if I wanted to and have a chat about cricket and how he went about it. I feel like I'm a pretty like I like to model my game a little bit on him.”

Cooper Connolly of Australia bats during game two in the One Day International series between Australia and India at Adelaide Oval on October 23, 2025 in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images)

Even now, Connolly studies Marsh’s innings. He reveals: “I go watch him back highlights of him making hundreds and stuff. If I could have half the career he did, I'd be pretty happy.”

Reinventing himself with the ball

Connolly’s development as an all-rounder includes a pivotal bowling shift. “When I was younger, I bowled left arm pace, liked to swing the ball. I like to think I was a big tearaway fast, but I wasn't,” he laughs. At 15, he made a decisive change. “I think the decision was sort of made at about 15 to change the left-am spin. Obviously it's not as taxing on your body. Not as many injuries and not as many left-arm spinners are going around,” he reasons.

Versatility with the bat

Connolly’s adaptability has become one of his strongest assets. From top order to finisher, he embraces the challenge. “I've had the luxury of being able to bat in sort of most positions in the team. So I think just being versatile for me is the best thing at the moment," he says.

Cooper Connolly of Australia bats during game three of the One Day International series between Australia and India at Sydney Cricket Ground on October 25, 2025 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Ayush Kumar/Getty Images)

“I like to sort of watch Travis Head go about it. It makes it better for teams to pick me that I can sort of bat from anywhere from one to seven," he adds.

World Cup reality

Now, the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka looms. "I'm very excited. It's a great group to be a part of. The Australian set-up, whether it's white ball cricket or test cricket, it's a great group to be a part of. I'm really looking forward to it. It'll be nice to get over to Sri Lanka. I haven't been there since I made my test debut," he says.

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Yet the ultimate aspiration remains unchanged. “I think the pinnacle is Test cricket.” For now, Connolly continues to ride the wave, grounded by perspective and driven by curiosity. “Super stoked to have done what I've done so far. Just looking forward to hopefully playing more games for Australia.”

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