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Cooper Connolly Bulldozes SA With Historic Fifer To Claim Huge Australia Record

Aakash Saini

Cooper Connolly celebrating a wicket [Source: @cricketcomau/x]Cooper Connolly celebrating a wicket [Source: @cricketcomau/x]

Cooper Connolly shattered South Africa’s batting line-up in the third ODI of the three-match series on Sunday, August 24. Defending a monumental 432, Connolly cut through South Africa’s lower-order by picking up five quick wickets to claim match-winning figures of 5-22 in six overs.

Notably, the young spinner also attained a significant Australian record through the course of his maiden five-fer in international cricket.

Cooper Connolly Beats Mitchell Starc For Massive Record

Australian batting all-rounder Cooper Connolly picked up his maiden five-wicket haul in international cricket in the third ODI of the three-match series against South Africa in Mackay. Connolly’s match-winning spell also marked his maiden five-fer in competitive cricket overall, considering he previously picked just 17 wickets overall across all formats (domestic + international) through his left-arm spin.

The Perth Scorchers cricketer also became the youngest Australian bowler in the history of ODIs to pick up a five-wicket haul, doing so at the age of just 22 years and 2 days. Here is a look at three youngest Australian players to claim an ODI five-fer to their names:

Three Youngest Australia Bowlers To Pick ODI Five-Wicket Hauls:

Player
Age
Opponent
Venue, Year
Cooper Connolly22y 2dSouth AfricaMackay, 2025
Craig McDermott22y 204dPakistanLahore, 1987
Mitchell Starc22y 211dPakistanSharjah, 2012

Cooper Connolly, playing just his fifth ODI, dismissed both well-set South African batters Tony de Zorzi and Dewald Brevis in quick succession before mopping up the visitor’s tail. Eventually claiming career-best international figures of 5-22, Connolly helped Australia dust out South Africa for just 155 in 24.5 overs.

With Australia securing a comprehensive 276-run victory, Mitchell Marsh’s troops managed to avoid an ODI series whitewash at the hands of South Africa.