Connolly's revival highlights perils and payoffs of new landscape

As the merits of overseas franchise cricket are debated during Australian cricket’s otherwise quiet months, it is notable that the most prominent league of all has provided an ideal stage for one of the country's most promising talents to flourish.

Whether Cooper Connolly can translate his breakthrough Indian Premier League form for the Ricky Ponting-coached Punjab Kings into national colours shapes as a meaningful sub-plot when the 22-year-old returns to international cricket next month.

Connolly, having previously shown only fleeting glimpses of his skill at international level, will join Australia's ODI squad in Bangladesh having thrived as a specialist-batting No.3 in the IPL, piling on a team-leading 415 runs at 51.87 while striking at 168.01.

An unbeaten 107 against a Pat Cummins-led Hyderabad attack, albeit in a losing cause, has been the cherry on top of a sparkling individual season.

Ponting has given Connolly a consistent role at the top of Punjab's order, a luxury not always afforded the allrounder during his initial forays into each of the three international formats. That the left-arm spinner is not bowling in India due to a lower-back issue has further narrowed his attention.

But the major factor in Connolly's turnaround might have come on the back of the biggest slump of his career that began during last summer's Big Bash.

Weeks after playing in Australia's T20 World Cup campaign, Connolly was dropped by Western Australia for their final Sheffield Shield match. In 17 innings across all formats between mid-December and early-March, he had averaged 7.20 and passed 10 just three times.

Being axed from the Shield side allowed him to make some technical adjustments before joining Punjab on a A$510k deal.

"It's been fantastic," selection chief George Bailey said of Connolly's turnaround. "He's had a good run at it over there. Not back to the bowling crease yet, so I think that's allowed him to really focus and hone in on the batting side of things.

"Chatting to him a couple of (times), he was going from playing to playing to playing. I think he just had a brief moment towards the back-end of last (domestic season) where he was able to find a small window just to work on a couple of things technically.

"That certainly seems to be to be paying off. The performance is one thing, but just the confidence and growth and learning he'll get out of that will be massive."

Connolly's journey since his international entrance in both white-ball formats in September 2024, the month after he turned 21, underscores the complicated landscape the game's best young players are being released into.

In the 15 months since making his Test debut in February 2025, Connolly has played 53 games for six different teams (Australia, Australia A, Western Australia, Perth Scorchers, San Francisco Unicorns and Punjab Kings) in six different countries across all three formats, batting in every position between opener and No.8.

In some games he has batted and not bowled; in others he has bowled and not batted. For some bilateral series he has been picked in Australia's squad, and then not played; in others he has not been picked in the initial squad, but then played anyway.

For Australia, his best performances have come in 50-over cricket – a 53-ball 61 against India in Adelaide and a haul of 5-22 against South Africa in Mackay – while his poor T20I numbers (batting average of 4.66, bowling average of 77.00 in 13 games) come with the caveat of being handed difficult assignments in often unfamiliar roles.

The makings of a promising Test player are there too, even despite yet reaching triple-figures in first-class cricket. In 21 innings, he has passed fifty nine times for an average north of 40.

The challenge for Connolly now will be to show he can replicate his dominant IPL form on less batter-friendly surfaces and probably with less certainty over where he will bat game-to-game as Australia juggle player availability in their white-ball squads. Jake Fraser-McGurk has previously shown that one brilliant IPL season as a young batter can be a false dawn.

The challenge is also there for Australia in managing more newcomers. Joel Davies – another left-arm spinning allrounder – along with Ollie Peake and Liam Scott will all get their first taste of international cricket in Pakistan and Bangladesh, while Billy Stanlake and Riley Meredith are back after lengthy absences.

Peake follows Connolly in having achieved the rare feat of playing in two Under-19 World Cups and was in Galle last year when the sandy-haired Western Australian made his surprise debut against Sri Lanka.

Davies and Scott, meanwhile, have been picked on the back of solid domestic output.

"Everything's impressive with Peakey for a young man of his age, and what he's been able to do so far in his career," said Bailey.

"He's spent a little bit of time around the national team in Sri Lanka. He's performed well domestically. It's clearly an eye to the future with his selection. There's obviously an ability there, but coupled with a really, really strong game sense and game awareness for someone of his age and experience.

"One of the bits of feedback from players (in Sri Lanka) was just the calibre of questions and his understanding of both his own game, but also … how he was trying to continually grow and improve his game.

"Liam is another one who, every time he's been stretched or grown, be that through South Australia or Australia A or the (Adelaide) Strikers, he just seems to respond really well and fast tracks his development.

"He's got some good power, he's got some good game smarts with the bat and continues to add some tricks to a really consistent and competitive way of bowling.

"And Joel, there's a high degree of talent there, we're starting to see the fruits of that in some of his Big Bash and white-ball performances for New South Wales and (the Sydney Sixers).

"He's a left arm spinner as well and we've spoken at length about the importance of that, and development of that (skill) throughout the country."

Qantas Tour of Pakistan & Bangladesh 2026

Australia squad for Pakistan ODIs: Mitchell Marsh (c), Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Riley Meredith, Oliver Peake, Matthew Renshaw, Tanveer Sangha, Liam Scott, Matt Short, Billy Stanlake, Adam Zampa

May 30: First ODI, Rawalpindi Stadium, 9:30pm AEST

June 2: Second ODI, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, 9:30pm AEST

June 4: Third ODI, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, 9:30pm AEST

Australia squad for Bangladesh ODIs: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Matthew Renshaw, Tanveer Sangha, Liam Scott, Adam Zampa

June 9: First ODI, Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka, 3pm AEST

June 11: Second ODI, Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka, 3pm AEST

June 14: Third ODI, Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka, 3pm AEST

Australia squad for Bangladesh T20Is: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Joel Davies, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Matthew Kuhnemann, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Matthew Renshaw, Adam Zampa

June 17: First T20I, Bir Sreshtho Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Stadium, Chattogram, 6pm AEST

June 19: Second T20I, Bir Sreshtho Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Stadium, Chattogram, 6pm AEST

June 21: Third T20I, Bir Sreshtho Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Stadium, Chattogram, 6pm AEST

All matches exclusive on Kayo Sports and Fox Cricket