Cooper set to make County debut

South Australian batsman Tom Cooper will make his English county debut tomorrow when he pads up for Somerset in a three-day practice game against Lancashire.

Cooper will call Taunton home for the next six months, joining Australian legends Greg Chappell, Ricky Pointing and Justin Langer to don the black, white and maroon as the club hunts for its first County Championship title.

"I guess I have got some pretty big shoes to fill but hopefully I can go out and do my job and score a lot of runs," Cooper told Somerset's official website.

"More importantly is that the team has some success and wins some trophies.

"You play cricket to win games and to win silverware so that's what we are aiming for.

"From what I have seen everyone is in a good place, there is a good hype around the town and of course it will take a lot of hard work but hopefully that will result in silverware at the back end of the season."

Cooper is an experienced international cricketer, but not for his country of birth.

Possessing a dual passport thanks to his mother's Dutch heritage, Cooper was fast-tracked in to the Netherlands national team in 2010, playing his first game in orange in June that year against Scotland in Rotterdam.

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The Dutch celebrate a famous win // Getty Images

The 28-year-old burst out the gates, posting a hat-trick of half-centuries in his first three one-day internationals before scoring his maiden ODI ton against Afghanistan less than a month after his debut.

Twelve months later Cooper was on the world stage competing in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup in India, and despite a solid performance batting at first-drop, the Netherlands failed to win a match in the group stage.

But the same would not be said at the World T20 in Bangladesh three years later, as the men in orange stunned England by 45 runs in one of the biggest upsets in international cricket history.

While Cooper averages a meaty 48.80 in 23 one-dayers for the Dutch, he has made it no secret where his ultimate ambition lies.

"Ever since I started playing cricket, playing for Australia was the pinnacle for me," Cooper said after scoring an unbeaten 109 for Australia A last winter in the Top End quadrennial tournament.

"I've been fortunate enough to get that opportunity to play at a couple of World Cups with the Dutch.

"There's no doubt in my mind that I want to play for Australia and I'll be doing everything in my power to get there."

Following the pre-season friendly fixture against the newly relegated Lancashire, Somerset host a Durham side featuring Victorian allrounder John Hastings on the weekend for the first four-day championship match of the season. 

Cooper shines for Australia A