WA cricket champion Michael Hussey backs young gun Cooper Connolly to shine if given chance against India

West Australian all-format wunderkind Cooper Connolly has the cool temperament to back up a deep well of talent, according to retired great Michael Hussey. Connolly is in the mix to add to his five one-day internationals for Australia in Sunday’s series opener against India at Optus Stadium. He has already played in all three formats for his country – a Test and six T20 internationals as well as his 50-over appearances. Just days after celebrating his 22nd birthday in August, the left-arm spinner snared 5-22 in six overs against South Africa in Mackay, becoming the youngest Australian to take a five-for in an ODI. Paceman Craig McDermott was aged 22 years 204 days when he took 5-44 against Pakistan in the 1987 World Cup semifinal at Lahore. “Obviously he’s still a young player and he’s still learning the game but he’s learning on the biggest stage so that that’s exciting for him,” Hussey said. “The thing that impressed me most about him last year in the Big Bash was he played a couple of innings in really awkward pressure situations and he came out on top.” Hussey was referring to a BBL 14 match at Marvel Stadium against the Melbourne Renegades when Connolly scored 66 runs off 50 balls with six sixes in tough conditions to secure his position in the top order. “That told me a fair bit about his character, that he’s not just a flashy kid with a lot of talent. He’s actually got a bit of substance behind him as well,” said Hussey, who will be calling the match for Fox. +“That’s something that really impressed me and gives him a good chance of hopefully having a long international career.” Connolly has played only eight first-class matches, making 90 on debut for WA against Tasmania at the WACA Ground in March 2024. “He hasn’t played a lot of first-class cricket so he’s still got a lot to learn and a long way to go. He’s not the finished product by any stretch of the imagination but there are some pretty good signs there,” Hussey said. Australia will be without Adam Zampa and Josh Inglis for the first of three ODIs against India. Inglis is yet to recover from the calf strain that kept him sidelined for Australia’s T20 series in New Zealand earlier this month, while Zampa will miss as he awaits the birth of his child. Wicketkeeper Alex Carey won’t play, having been released to play Sheffield Shield cricket to aid his Ashes preparations, giving WA product Josh Philippe an opportunity behind the stumps in Perth. The match will mark Philippe’s first international appearance on home soil. The 28-year-old has featured in 12 T20 internationals and three ODIs overseas, and hasn’t featured in the latter format since 2021. WA’s Mitch Marsh will captain the team, fellow local all-rounder Cam Green also in the mix. Hussey played the first of 185 ODIs for Australia in February 2004 against India in Perth before establishing himself in the Test team. He said the likely final appearance of India superstars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in Perth could not be underestimated. “They are going to be legends of the game in what they have achieved. “Virat Kohli’s record across all formats of the game, he’s up there with Sachin Tendulkar. “Rohit Sharma’s record also stands up with some of the best in the game. “The thing that you can’t underestimate is what mega stars these guys are in India. “They literally cannot walk outside without getting mobbed by thousands and thousands and thousands of people. “For them to be able to continually perform at the highest level with that amount of pressure, the number of eyeballs on them, day in, day out, to be under that amount of scrutiny, is absolutely phenomenal. “I used to admire that in Sachin Tendulkar and those two have obviously learnt of someone like Sachin, but did it their own way as well.” A strong crowd is building for Sunday’s game, with fewer than 6000 of 38,000 general admission of tickets remaining.