The 20-year-old spin-bowling all-rounder from Perth, Cooper Connolly has been named in Australia’s T20I squad for the tour of Scotland and England. Australia are scheduled to play three T20Is in Scotland in September before heading to the UK for as many T20Is and five ODIs. Meanwhile, Jake Fraser-McGurk has been named in both squads.
Mitchell Marsh will lead both the squads, with ODI captain Pat Cummins being rested for the entire 11-game tour. Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell have also been rested for the six T20Is but will return for the five-match ODI series against England. Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith are also part of the ODI set-up, keeping the 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan in mind.
The former Australia Under-19 captain, Connolly has only played 15 T20s, scoring 226 runs @ 28.25 and a strike rate of 145.80. The left-arm spinner has also claimed six wickets at an economy rate of 7. With Matthew Wade and Ashton Agar missing out, Australia will most likely use Connolly lower down the order.
David Warner, who has retired from international cricket, will be replaced by Fraser-McGurk. The 22-year-old has set the world cricket on fire and will open alongside Travis Head. Matthew Short will miss the T20I series against Scotland and England for the birth of his first child but will return for the ODIs.
Spencer Johnson, Aaron Hardie and Xavier Bartlett are the other changes from Australia’s 2024 T20 World Cup squad. Meanwhile, Alex Carey and Sean Abbott have also been named in the ODI squad.
“This tour gives us a great opportunity to bring in some new players in the absence of David Warner and Matthew Wade, as well as giving some senior players time to prepare for the home summer and a busy first half of next year,” said National men’s selection chair George Bailey.
“We are particularly pleased to offer Cooper his first opportunity in the T20 squad having introduced the likes of Jake, Spencer, Xavier and Aaron in the past 12 months. They are exciting prospects to join the likes of Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis and Josh Inglis in the white-ball setup.”
Australia’s UK tour kicks off with a three-match T20I series against Scotland (September 4-7) in Edinburgh. They will then play three T20Is against England on September 11, 13 and 15 before shifting the focus to the 50-over format. The five ODIs will be played on September 19, 21, 24, 27 and 29.
Australia’s T20I 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’s ODI squad: Mitch Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa
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