Latest news with #CooperConnolly
West Australian
3 days ago
- Sport
- West Australian
Channel 7 secure exclusive rights to Major League Cricket as Cooper Connolly, Mitch Marsh take on the US
Perth Scorchers young gun Cooper Connolly's first foray into the international T20 circuit will be broadcast live and free in Western Australia. Named a joint player of the tournament in last summer's Big Bash, Connolly joins a star-studded list of Australians set to take on America's Major League Cricket, including fellow West Aussie Mitch Marsh. And all 34 T20 matches will be broadcast exclusively on the channels of 7plus. Connolly had a summer to remember after earning his international white-ball debuts during a trip to the UK in September, earning his Baggy Green in Sri Lanka. Now, the 21-year-old has secured his first T20 circuit deal, representing the San Francisco Unicorns in the MLC. Several of Australia's Test stars will play the front half of the competition, which is in its third year and spearheaded cricket heading to the country for last year's T20 World Cup, ahead of travelling to the West Indies for a three-match red-ball series. Steve Smith will represent the Washington Freedom after the World Test Championship Final, coached by Australian cricket legend Ricky Ponting, who led Kings XI Punjab to the Indian Premier League final on Monday. Former Scorcher Jason Behrendorff will also feature for the defending champions alongside Glenn Maxwell, who retired from ODI cricket last week, and the Big Bash's latest breakout star, Mitchell Owen. Owen has also earned his maiden call-up to the Australian T20 team for a series in the Caribbean. Jake Fraser-McGurk, Marcus Stoinis and David Warner will also play in the growing tournament. The time zone also suits WA fans, with most matches starting at either 9am or 5am WST. Seven's Head of Cricket, Joel Starcevic, said he was excited to bring Australian fans cricket's newest frontier. 'Major League Cricket is the next frontier for the sport, and we cannot wait to deliver every ball to fans across Australia, live, free and exclusively on 7plus Sport,' he said. 'Like any American sporting product, it's going to be massive, and we're thrilled to bring all 34 games to Australian viewers as we count down to an unbelievable Summer of Cricket on Seven and 7plus Sport.' The tournament kicks off on Friday, June 13 2025, with San Francisco Unicorns taking on Washington Freedom.
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
Connolly, Marsh's MLC campaigns to be broadcast free in WA
Perth Scorchers young gun Cooper Connolly's first foray into the international T20 circuit will be broadcast live and free in Western Australia. Named a joint player of the tournament in last summer's Big Bash, Connolly joins a star-studded list of Australians set to take on America's Major League Cricket, including fellow West Aussie Mitch Marsh. And all 34 T20 matches will be broadcast exclusively on the channels of 7plus. Connolly had a summer to remember after earning his international white-ball debuts during a trip to the UK in September, earning his Baggy Green in Sri Lanka. Now, the 21-year-old has secured his first T20 circuit deal, representing the San Francisco Unicorns in the MLC. Several of Australia's Test stars will play the front half of the competition, which is in its third year and spearheaded cricket heading to the country for last year's T20 World Cup, ahead of travelling to the West Indies for a three-match red-ball series. Steve Smith will represent the Washington Freedom after the World Test Championship Final, coached by Australian cricket legend Ricky Ponting, who led Kings XI Punjab to the Indian Premier League final on Monday. Former Scorcher Jason Behrendorff will also feature for the defending champions alongside Glenn Maxwell, who retired from ODI cricket last week, and the Big Bash's latest breakout star, Mitchell Owen. Owen has also earned his maiden call-up to the Australian T20 team for a series in the Caribbean. Jake Fraser-McGurk, Marcus Stoinis and David Warner will also play in the growing tournament. The time zone also suits WA fans, with most matches starting at either 9am or 5am WST. Seven's Head of Cricket, Joel Starcevic, said he was excited to bring Australian fans cricket's newest frontier. 'Major League Cricket is the next frontier for the sport, and we cannot wait to deliver every ball to fans across Australia, live, free and exclusively on 7plus Sport,' he said. 'Like any American sporting product, it's going to be massive, and we're thrilled to bring all 34 games to Australian viewers as we count down to an unbelievable Summer of Cricket on Seven and 7plus Sport.' The tournament kicks off on Friday, June 13 2025, with San Francisco Unicorns taking on Washington Freedom.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Media Alert: Qualys Becomes The Major Partner of the San Francisco Unicorns for the 2025 Major League Cricket Season
SAN FRANCISCO, April 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Qualys, Inc. (NASDAQ: QLYS), a leading provider of cloud-based IT, security, and compliance solutions, proudly announces it is the Major Partner and the official Cybersecurity Partner of the San Francisco Unicorns for the 2025 Cognizant Major League Cricket (MLC) season. Headquartered in the Bay Area and known for its innovative approach to security, Qualys is thrilled to partner with the Unicorns, a team that embodies excellence and resilience both on and off the pitch. The Sparkle Army, the Unicorns' dedicated fan club, will see a new addition to their team's arsenal this season: the Qualys logo, a shield symbolizing protection and defense. This partnership reflects Qualys' commitment to safeguarding not only the digital world but also supporting the local community and sporting events like cricket, which continues to grow in popularity across the U.S. "Qualys is proud to sponsor the San Francisco Unicorns, and we're honored to have the opportunity to support a team that mirrors our values of innovation and determination," said Sumedh Thakar, president and CEO of Qualys. "This partnership reflects our dedication to building strong community connections and celebrating excellence across all fields." The San Francisco Unicorns launched as one of the founding members of the Major League Cricket in 2023, bringing some of the world's finest talents to the U.S. This season, fans can look forward to dynamic performances by global cricket stars and exciting games that celebrate the best of T20 cricket. To date, several players have already been announced in the team's line up, including internationally known talents, Cooper Connolly, Jake Fraser-McGurk, and Matt Short. As The Major Partner, the Qualys logo will have prime position on the front of the Unicorns' matchday and training jersey, plus signage and merchandise. Qualys will receive branding opportunities across training and staff kit, plus matchday broadcast and media assets. David White, San Francisco Unicorns' CEO, added: "This season marks a significant milestone for the Unicorns as we come to play in the Bay Area for the first time, and we're thrilled to deliver world-class cricket via an elite partnership with local cybersecurity pioneer, Qualys. "Qualys stands out as an organization for its commitment to excellence; a quality we strive for in all aspects of our own setup. Having their logo prominently displayed on our playing jerseys will be a reminder of our own high standards and values, while also resonating with our fans proudly sporting the matchday kit in the stands." Matches and Tickets The San Francisco Unicorns will play the first three games of the 2025 MLC season at the Oakland Coliseum, with the tournament's first match against Washington Freedom, on Thursday, June 12. Tickets for all matches can be purchased through the Official Major League Cricket site. Additional Resources Watch the Qualys Unicorns Partnership Video Visit the home of the San Francisco Unicorns, Follow Qualys on LinkedIn, Instagram and X About the San Francisco Unicorns The San Francisco Unicorns are a professional T20 cricket team that made their debut in Major League Cricket's inaugural 2023 season. Representing the Bay Area, the team comprises top international talent and is backed by Silicon Valley entrepreneurs. Their mission is to popularize cricket in the U.S. while delivering thrilling performances on the field. Learn more at About QualysQualys, Inc. (NASDAQ: QLYS) is a leading provider of disruptive cloud-based security, compliance and IT solutions with more than 10,000 subscription customers worldwide, including a majority of the Forbes Global 100 and Fortune 100. Qualys helps organizations streamline and automate their security and compliance solutions onto a single platform for greater agility, better business outcomes, and substantial cost savings. The Qualys Enterprise TruRisk Platform leverages a single agent to continuously deliver critical security intelligence while enabling enterprises to automate the full spectrum of vulnerability detection, compliance, and protection for IT systems, workloads and web applications across on premises, endpoints, servers, public and private clouds, containers, and mobile devices. Founded in 1999 as one of the first SaaS security companies, Qualys has strategic partnerships and seamlessly integrates its vulnerability management capabilities into security offerings from cloud service providers, including Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, Amazon Web Services, the Google Cloud Platform and Microsoft Azure, along with a number of leading managed service providers and global consulting organizations. For more information, please visit Qualys, Qualys VMDR®, Qualys TruRisk and the Qualys logo are proprietary trademarks of Qualys, Inc. All other products or names may be trademarks of their respective companies. Media Contact: Rachel Yap Winship Qualys Media@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Qualys, Inc. Sign in to access your portfolio
Forbes
16-04-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Emerging Star Cooper Connolly Signs With San Francisco In Major League Cricket
Cooper Connolly has represented Australia across three formats (Photo by Alex Davidson-ICC/ICC via ... More Getty Images) Emerging allrounder Cooper Connolly, who has represented Australia across formats, will play in this season's Major League Cricket after signing with San Francisco Unicorns. Underlining the 21-year-old's rapid rise, as an incumbent Test player and having opened the batting in the Champions Trophy semi-final against India, it will mark his first foray into overseas T20 franchise cricket. The well-heeled MLC, a fledgling tournament that has lured global stars as it prepares for its third season starting on June 12, looms as important preparation for left-arm spinner Connolly ahead of a busy slate of white-ball cricket for Australia before next year's T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. Connolly, who made his Test debut in February against Sri Lanka, is set to be available throughout the MLC season as he almost certainly won't be part of Australia's squad for June's World Test Championship final against South Africa. But Connolly could be a contender for the subsequent West Indies tour on slower Caribbean surfaces. He should be in the frame for the T20 leg of the West Indies tour and also the home white-ball series against South Africa in August. Cooper Connolly made his Test debut in Sri Lanka (Photo by) 'This last year's been a breakthrough for myself on the international stage and now I can't wait to test myself in overseas franchise T20 for the first time with the San Francisco Unicorns,' Connolly said. 'The prospect of playing in front of a home crowd, as well as in Texas and Florida, alongside and against some of the biggest names in world cricket is very exciting, and I can't wait to help the team put on a show for Unicorns and U.S. cricket fans come June.' Connolly, a versatile and explosive batter, will team up with Australian Jake Fraser-McGurk and Perth Scorchers teammate Finn Allen at Unicorns, who this season will be without Australian stars Pat Cummins and Josh Inglis due to Test duties. Backed by Silicon Valley venture capitalists, the Unicorns have embraced analytics and AI to inform and evaluate the sport as they strive to build around a young core. Cooper Connolly plays for the Perth Scorchers in the BBL (Photo by) 'Cooper's all-round ability is going to be a key asset for the Unicorns this summer," Unicorns head coach Shane Watson said. 'Although he's young, he's shown maturity and adaptability beyond his age; not many players have international experience across both white ball formats and earned a baggy green at 21.' Connolly will get the opportunity to play at the iconic Oakland Coliseum, which will host nine matches from June 12-18 before the 34-game, monthlong tournament shifts to Dallas and Broward County in Florida. Located near Interstate 880, with its stunning views of the Oakland hills a favorite for many seated in the terraces, the Coliseum hosted almost 5000 baseball games and was the home ground of the Athletics for 57 years. The Raiders in the NFL were also based there before being lured to the bright lights of Las Vegas, while the Coliseum for a wider audience might be best known for being immortalized in the hit 2011 film Moneyball starring Brad Pitt. The Unicorns open the tournament at the Coliseum on June 12 against defending champions Washington Freedom in a rematch of last year's final.
Int'l Cricket Council
01-04-2025
- Sport
- Int'l Cricket Council
Bailey leaves door open for Australian youngsters at T20 World Cup
The Aussies named a 23-player list that will receive national contracts for the 2025/26 season on Tuesday, with all-rounder Aaron Hardie, pacer Sean Abbott and spinner Todd Murphy the unlucky trio to miss out and youngsters Cooper Connolly and Jake Fraser-McGurk also failing to earn a deal. Connolly got a taste of it when making his Test and ODI debut for Australia in recent months, while Fraser-McGurk is currently in the Indian Premier League, showcasing his capabilities with the Delhi Capitals on the big stage. WATCH: Jake Fraser-McGurk's blistering 84 at the U19 World Cup 2020 While the duo may appear to be on the sidelines ahead of next year's T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, Bailey admitted there was still plenty of time for players to win selection for the 20-over showcase in 2026. 'I think it's been a really exciting eight months for him [Cooper Connolly], going back to being picked on the UK white-ball tour right through the summer. To have debuted across all three formats,' Bailey said in the virtual press conference after the announcement of the contract list. 'I think he's an incredibly exciting talent. He's probably in the same boat a little bit as the three guys that we mentioned. He's been unlucky in not getting contracts. I think he's certainly going to be around conversations for squads, tours and games throughout the next 12 months. 'But just as ever, it's a challenge to fit everyone on but not to say that still not incredibly excited about what he's achieved over the last 12 months and where we think his career and his cricket can continue to develop.' WATCH: Cooper Connolly takes 3/17 against West Indies at the U19 World Cup 2022 Despite some players missing out on the contract list, Bailey emphasized that opportunities will remain plentiful, given Australia's packed cricketing schedule ahead, which includes the next cycle of the World Test Championship, the 2026 Men's T20 World Cup, and the 2027 Men's Cricket World Cup. "It's always an important focus [to pick the players for the contract list]," Bailey added. "I think Test cricket is a really big priority. Despite only having the six ODIs this year that leads into an ODI World Cup towards the back end of 2027 as well. So we will certainly be using those one-day games to continue and start to focus on what that squad might start to look like by 2027. "I think any time we have had a T20 World Cup in those big years of bunches of games, we've used a broad range of players. I envisage it is probably going to be similar this year. "Just depending on where a few guys are in terms of their prep for Test cricket, so there's every reason to think there'll be opportunities for plenty of players who may be just outside this contract list." WATCH: Revisit Mitchell Marsh's unbeaten 177 against Bangladesh at the 2023 World Cup Mitchell Marsh hit 177* from 132 balls, hitting 26 boundaries during his knock. Bailey also provided some insight into the future of experienced all-rounder Mitch Marsh, who remains Australia's T20I captain and looks likely to lead the side into action during next year's T20 World Cup. Marsh has battled a back injury in recent times and is currently plying his trade as a batter only in the IPL with Lucknow Super Giants, but Bailey believes the 33-year-old still has plenty of cricket ahead of him. "I still think he's got an incredibly important role to play," Bailey said of Marsh. "He's had some injury issues, and towards the back end of the summer he was battling with his back a little bit. "It's an ongoing conversation as to where bowling may or may not fit into his international cricket going forward. At the moment, in the IPL, he's available only as a batter. "He's still the captain of our T20 team and still think he can play an incredibly important role in setting that team up and hopefully leading that team to some success in the T20 World Cup. WATCH: Mitchell Marsh guides Australia to the 2021 T20 World Cup title Mitch Marsh guides Australia to title | T20WC 2021 "I think he's got plenty of one-day cricket left in him as well, so I still think he's a really valuable member of the white-ball sides." And while Marsh got dropped from Australia's Test side last summer following a run of poor scores with the bat, Bailey hasn't given up on the hard-hitter making a return to the red-ball side and thinks the Ashes series against England at the end of the year could suit. "I don't necessarily think that his red ball career is over as well," Bailey noted. "I don't think he was scoring the runs that he would have wanted, or we would have wanted, when we left him out of the Test side. But I still think there's an incredibly exciting skill-set there with the bat, the way he can rip a game open. "If you look ahead to a team like England, and the way they play their cricket and the way they seem to be framing up their team, I think he's got a skill-set there that could be helpful." News Jake Fraser-McGurk 04/11/2002 Cooper Connolly 08/22/2003 Mitchell Marsh 10/20/1991 Australia
