Tom Cooper, an Australian–Dutch cricketer, could get the opportunity to play for the Kangaroos after white-ball skipper Aaron Finch hinted that the middle-order batsman could be a successful late-innings specialist for the national side.
Cooper, who played for the Netherlands till the 2016 T20 World Cup, could achieve the rare feat of playing cricket for two countries, as Finch, impressed with the big-hitter’s all-round quality, suggested that the right-hander could play for Australia in the 2020 T20 World Cup, given his great ability with bat and ball, and in the field.
Finch indicated about Cooper’s Australia debut after his string of brilliant shows in both the One Day Cup and the Sheffield Shield, comparing him to England’s star batsman Jos Buttler.
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As per cricket.com.au, Finch said: “It wouldn't be a stretch at all (to suggest Cooper could play for Australia). He's a 360 (degree) player. He's so dynamic, he's so hard to bowl to because he can ramp (to) both sides (of the wicketkeeper) and he's got the power.”
He added, “When you combine that, it's like trying to bowl to Jos Buttler or someone like that. He's been in some great nick and it's great to see him doing well – obviously not against us. He's such a great bloke, he brings a lot to the team with bat and ball, and in the field.”
Meanwhile, Cooper eyes a great Big Bash League (BBL) stint to realise his dream to play for Australia.
He added, “It's still a dream to play for Australia, it has been since I was a little kid. Hopefully I can have a good Big Bash and I can take some of this form into that. Then who knows? I've played the majority of my T20 career in that middle-order position, so at times it has been frustrating to see the highest run scorers get picked, and they're generally from the top of the order.”
The batsman continued, “It's shown in the results – the boys looked almost unbeatable during the recent T20 series (against Sri Lanka and Pakistan). I still aspire to it, whether that opportunity arises or not, who knows, but it's the dream.”
On the other hand, there is almost no opportunity for the lower-order to show their talent in the Finch’s white-ball squad, and Cooper said: “At times it can be frustrating when you're stuck down there but it can be quite a specialist role.”
He explained, “It's something that needs to be practiced quite a lot and it's a good thing going forward there's a bit more an emphasis put on that in selection, which has seen some really good results for the Aussies. Up the top of the order, you get a bit more freedom. You can get away with not getting them in the middle all the time because you've just got to clear the infield.”
Cooper signed off by saying, “At the end (of an innings), you aspire to be a 360 degree player so you can hit the ball where the fielders aren’t but a lot of the time you've got to take a risk and try to clear (boundary) fielders. If you don't get it quite right you can find yourself looking pretty silly.”
(With cricket.com.au Inputs)
