Australia’s talented young all-rounder Cooper Connolly is set to make his debut in an overseas T20 league after signing with the San Francisco Unicorns for the upcoming Major League Cricket (MLC) season in the USA.
The 21-year-old left-hander, who also bowls left-arm spin, has been making steady strides in international cricket since his national debut last September, including a Test debut against Sri Lanka earlier this year.
MLC Opportunity as Test Tour Overlaps
The MLC schedule coincides with the Test tour of the West Indies for Australia, but Connolly is not anticipated to join the squad for the Tests. Australia is supposed to play a five-match T20I series-an event that will follow the Test tour-could have Connolly back in contention as selectors continue tightening their place in preparation for the 2026 T20 World Cup to be held in India and Sri Lanka.
A T20 Talent Coming up in the Scene
Connolly came to fore in the 2022-23 Big Bash League (BBL) when he took the Perth Scorchers to title victory, shining in his fourth T20 match and his second innings. He was soon debuting for T20I against Scotland, but a thumb injury kept him to watch the rest of the home series with Pakistan from the sidelines.
Concerning his guarded provisos return, Connolly then completed an excellent BBL season for the years 2024-25, accumulating 351 runs with an average of 50.14 and a strike rate of 131.46. The remarkable activity earned him the tie of co-Player of the Tournament with Australian veteran Glenn Maxwell.
Shane Watson Praises Connolly's Maturity
Former Australian allrounder and now head coach of Unicorns, Shane Watson was rather thrilled about Connolly's signing.
When you consider his all-around capabilities, he is going to be a key asset for the Unicorns in the summer," Watson said. "Although he's young, he's shown maturity and adaptability beyond his age; not many players have international experience across both white-ball formats and earned a baggy green at 21."
Eyes on the 2026 T20 World Cup
If Australia is thinking of including a left-arm spinner in the T20 World Cup squad, Connolly's destructive performances in MLC will go a long way in his case. He also played in this much-anticipated Champions Trophy semi-final against India which had its shares of highs and lows-mostly the latter, with a duck after opening the innings, but coming back strongly with the ball to dismiss Rohit Sharma and then almost getting Virat Kohli as well, let down by a dropped catch from Maxwell.
Aussie Contingent in MLC Grows
Connolly has joined the ever-increasing list of Australian players heading to the MLC this season because Matt Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk will both be part of the San Francisco Unicorns. Test players will not be able to travel as they may be caught up with the Test series in the Caribbean.
Last year, Steven Smith guided Washington Freedom to the championship title, defeating a Pat Cummins-featured Unicorn team.
It is assured to be the chapter of Connolly's life, an important chapter in his MLC and bound surely to take stock of his increasingly fast-moving career regarding international exposure and also about making a case for taking part in global tournaments in the future.