Tom Cooper (cricketer)

Tom Lexley William Cooper (born 26 November 1986) is an Australian–Dutch former cricketer who represented the Netherlands in international cricket from 2010 to 2023. He also played for South Australia in Australian domestic cricket, as well as for the Adelaide Strikers, Melbourne Renegades, and Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League.

Cooper played his junior cricket in New South Wales, but after his youth career he moved to Adelaide and played domestic cricket for South Australia. In 2009, Cooper discovered he was eligible to play for the Netherlands national cricket team due to his Dutch passport, and he later represented the country in international cricket for over a decade, playing in the 2011 Cricket World Cup and two Twenty20 World Cups in 2014 and 2016.

Cooper's life and career were greatly affected by the death of friend and teammate Phillip Hughes. Cooper was Hughes' batting partner when Hughes was struck by a cricket ball during a match on 25 November 2015, leading to his death two days later. Cooper's career faltered for some time after the tragedy.

Cooper's domestic cricket career in Australia ended after his final season with South Australia in 2020–21 and his final season in the Big Bash League in 2021–22. He then returned to the Dutch national team after a six-year hiatus and played in the 2022 Men's T20 World Cup in Australia. He played his final international match for the Netherlands in 2023.

Cooper was born in Wollongong in regional New South Wales on 26 November 1986. His mother, Bernardine Cooper, was born in Indonesia while the territory was still under the control of the Netherlands as Dutch New Guinea. Later in life, this connection would make Cooper eligible for a Dutch passport, which provided opportunities to advance his cricket career in Europe.

Cooper's family moved to Lismore in 1990, where Cooper's younger brother Ben was born. Ben would later play international cricket for the Netherlands. Cooper began playing junior cricket there when he signed up to play under-12s cricket as a seven-year-old.

Cooper began playing junior cricket in Lismore when he signed up to play under-12s cricket as a seven-year-old. He made his way through junior pathways all the way up to representing Australia in the 2006 Under-19 Cricket World Cup. Cooper scored the first century of the World Cup in Australia's first match against South Africa, scoring 104 runs and being named the player of the match.

Cooper was unable to break into the New South Wales state team, and was instead signed for a state contract with South Australia ahead of the 2008–09 season. Cooper first played for South Australia in a Sheffield Shield match against Western Australia at Adelaide Oval in November 2008. He then made his one-day debut for South Australia against Western Australia in a Ford Ranger Cup match, also at Adelaide Oval, opening the innings and scoring 53 from 67 deliveries. During his first season, Cooper managed to score his maiden first-class century, as well as his maiden Twenty20 fifty in just the second Twenty20 of his career. In a one-day match against Victoria, Cooper was struck on the head by a delivery from Victorian fast bowler Shane Harwood. Despite wearing a helmet at the time, Cooper suffered a fractured skull and was immediately rushed to the hospital.