Australia face opener dilemma as Matt Short likely to miss Champions Trophy semi-final

Australia’s Matthew Short (AP Photo)

Australia’s Champions Trophy semi-final preparations have been dealt a blow, with opener Matt Short unlikely to get better in time for subsequent week’s essential conflict towards both India or New Zealand.
Short suffered a quad harm whereas fielding in the course of the rain-affected match towards Afghanistan in Lahore on Friday. He later managed a brisk 20 off 15 balls however was visibly struggling to run between the wickets. After the sport, captain Steve Smith admitted that the batter was dealing with a race towards time to be match for the semi-final.
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“I think he’ll be struggling,” Smith informed Prime Video. “He wasn’t moving well tonight, and the turnaround between games is probably too quick for him to recover.”
Australia’s semi-final opponent and venue stay unsure, with the group set to face both India in Dubai on Tuesday or New Zealand in Lahore on Wednesday. The ultimate line-up will solely be confirmed after Sunday’s Group A decider between India and New Zealand.

With Short’s absence, Australia will want to regulate their prime order. Big-hitting Jake Fraser-McGurk is a robust candidate to substitute him, although his current ODI type in Sri Lanka raises issues. All-rounder Aaron Hardie is an alternative choice, whereas Cooper Connolly may very well be drafted in as a travelling reserve if Short is dominated out of the event.
Short had been a key participant for Australia, scoring a match-winning 63 towards England of their record-breaking chase. Against Afghanistan, he seemed in good contact once more earlier than rain halted play with Australia properly heading in the right direction for victory.
As Australia await readability on their semi-final opponents, Short’s potential absence provides one other problem of their bid for a record-breaking third Champions Trophy title.