He burst onto the scene in his debut sport as a 23-year-old taking 8 for 92 in his first Protect innings with the ball, the second-best figures by a New South Wales bowler on debut, and claiming 10 for the match. He took a rare 80 wickets in his first 15 Protect matches at 21.57. It received him chosen on an Australia A tour of Zimbabwe in 2011 and the next three-Check tour of Sri Lanka a month later. He took 5 for 47 within the first tour match and debuted within the first Check in Galle alongside Nathan Lyon. Copeland performed in all three Assessments in Sri Lanka and took six wickets as Australia received the sequence 1-0. He additionally went on the next two-Check tour of South Africa however didn’t play.
