Cooper Connolly has made Perth Scorchers history after he was named the joint Big Bash League’s Player of the Tournament alongside Melbourne Stars’ Glenn Maxwell.
In a competition first, the top award was shared with Connolly and Maxwell both finishing on 18 votes after outstanding individual campaigns.
It caps off a stunning rise for Connolly, who has quickly risen from his BBL12 heroics to become one of the best players in the league while also making his first-class, One-Day and Twenty20 international debuts in the past 12 months.
In what was an otherwise disappointing season as the Scorchers missed finals for the first time in five years, Connolly was a shining light.
Having been promoted up the order with Josh Inglis and Aaron Hardie missing from the Scorchers at different times this season the 21-year-old took it in his stride blasting a maiden 50 in the opening match and never looking back.
Connolly showed he had plenty of gears blasting 19 sixes but also guiding the Scorchers home with steady knocks on multiple occasions.
He won the Golden Bat award finishing with 351 runs at an average of more than 50 while also claiming six wickets as his bowling output lifted towards the end of the tournament with an eye on Sri Lanka after he was a shock addition to the Test squad.
Remarkably Connolly is the first Scorcher to win Player of the Tournament despite the Scorchers’ dominance of the competition highlighting how much of a one-man show he was at times this season.
Connolly was the clear favourite for the award but in the end was forced to share it with Maxwell who came home in a blaze of glory averaging 59 while striking at a blazing 194 to lift his side from the bottom of the table into finals.
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