Cooper Connolly and Jake Lehmann have claimed the peer-voted 2026 Bradman Young Cricketer and men’s Domestic Cricketer of the Year Awards respectively.
Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year – Cooper Connolly (WA/Perth Scorchers)
Connolly’s award reflects his rapid rise through the ranks in 2025 culminating in his Test debut against Sri Lanka at Galle.
Throughout the voting period, Connolly made 308 runs in four Sheffield Shield matches at an average of 44 including four half centuries and took three wickets at an average of 38.0.
Some of Connolly’s most significant domestic performances came for the Perth Scorchers in the KFC BBL|14 where he made 351 runs in 10 matches at an average of 50.14, with two half centuries and a strike rate of 131.46. With the ball, he took six wickets at an average of 29.67 and an economy rate of 7.42.
Connolly also represented Australia in six ODIs and four T20Is during the voting period. A highlight was his mature match winning 61* against India at Adelaide Oval.
To be eligible for the Young Cricketer of the Year award, players must be 24 years or younger prior to the commencement of the award period and have not won the award previously.
Prior to the award period, male players must have played 10 or less first-class matches and 25 or less combined List A and BBL matches.
Upon accepting the award, Connolly said:
“The award is named after the Don so it’s special to be a part of that group and to see the previous winners, it’s always exciting to be part of that.
“There’s been a lot of cricket played over the last 12 months. I haven’t really had time to sit down and soak it all in. I’m just honoured to win this award, it’s special and it was nice to receive it from Richo (Jhye Richardson).
“I’m enormously grateful for all the support I’ve had from coaches, teammates and support staff at WA Cricket.
“I’m looking forward to the upcoming BBL finals campaign and am excited at the prospect of being a part of the Scorchers’ sixth BBL title.”
Men’s Domestic Player of the Year – Jake Lehmann (South Australia)
Lehmann played a key role in an enormous year for South Australia with his prolific scoring a major factor in their Sheffield Shield and One-Day Cup victories.
During the voting period, Lehmann amassed 855 runs in the Shield at 47.5, with five centuries. In the One-Day Cup, he scored 237 runs at an average of 39.5, including two fifties.
Lehmann’s incredible run of form included hundreds in four Shield consecitive games from the back end of the 2024-25 season – including the Shield Final – to the first game of the 2025-26 season.
Upon accepting the award, Lehmann said:
“It was a little bit of a shock. I felt like I’ve been playing some really good cricket in the last 18 months, so to get recognised by people that you’re playing against and your peers is always something special and I’m grateful for the acknowledgement.
“I feel like as a group we’ve played some really nice cricket, and that’s helped me a lot in being able to play the way that I would like to play. I’ve played the last couple of years with a smile on my face, enjoying myself and probably playing cricket the right way.
“I’d like to thank SACA as a whole. They’ve supported me my whole career, and to Ryan Harris and the coaching staff, they put it in a lot of work, and backed me in what I’ve done over the last 18 months and given me the license to be myself and play the way I want to play, so they’ve been awesome. And obviously to my family, my wife and kids, everyone that’s done all the yards over all the years.
“It’s a great honour. Over my career, I’ve looked up to these players and aspire to be these players. I’ve tried to copy a few things that those players have done over the years, so, to have my name against their names and be acknowledged in that way is just an honour.”
CA CEO Todd Greenberg said:
“Congratulations to Cooper and Jake on their very well deserved awards.
“Cooper is just one of the outstanding young players who has come through our pathway systems and he has an exciting future ahead of him.
“Jake has been a fantastic contributor to South Australia’s recent success and is one of the players who helps make our domestic competitions the best in world cricket.”
ACA CEO Paul Marsh said:
“Being recognised by your peers is incredibly special, and Jake and Cooper both thoroughly deserve their awards.
“Jake has been a great player for a long time for South Australia, and what a way to cap off a year where after winning the Shield and the One-Day Cup, with some individual recognition for an incredibly impressive run of form.
“Cooper is one of the most exciting young prospects in Australian Cricket. I’d like to congratulate him on what he’s achieved so far, but I’m also really looking forward to what we see from him in the years to come.”
The voting period for both awards was 11 December 2024 – 13 December 2025.
Previous winners of the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year Award:
2000: Brett Lee
2001: Nathan Bracken
2002: Shane Watson
2003: Nathan Hauritz
2004: Shaun Tait
2005: Mark Cosgrove
2006: Dan Cullen
2007: Ben Hilfenhaus
2008: Luke Pomersbach
2009: Phillip Hughes
2010: John Hastings
2011: Trent Copeland
2012: David Warner
2013: Joe Burns
2014: Jordan Silk
2015: Sean Abbott
2016: Alex Ross
2017: Hilton Cartwright
2018: Jhye Richardson
2019: Will Pucovski
2020: Wes Agar
2021: Will Sutherland
2022: Tim Ward
2023: Lance Morris
2024: Fergus O’Neill
2025: Sam Konstas
Previous winners of the Men’s Domestic Cricketer of the Year Award:
2000: Darren Lehmann (South Australia)
2001: Darren Lehmann (South Australia)
2002: Darren Lehmann (South Australia)
2003: Martin Love (Queensland)
2004: Simon Katich (New South Wales)
2005: Andy Bichel (Queensland)
2006: Phil Jaques (New South Wales)
2007: Chris Rogers (Western Australia)
2008: Ashley Noffke (Queensland)
2009: Michael Klinger (South Australia)
2010: Michael Klinger (South Australia)
2011: Usman Khawaja (New South Wales)
2012: Rob Quiney (Victoria)
2013: Phillip Hughes (New South Wales)
2014: Cameron White (Victoria)
2015: Jason Behrendorff (Western Australia)
2016: Adam Voges (Western Australia)
2017: Cameron White (Victoria)
2018: George Bailey (Tasmania)
2019: Matthew Wade (Tasmania)
2020: Shaun Marsh (Western Australia)
2021: Shaun Marsh (Western Australia)
2022: Travis Head (South Australia)
2023: Michael Neser (Queensland)
2024: Cameron Bancroft (Western Australia)
2025: Beau Webster (Tasmania)
