ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Massive blow for Australia as injured opener Matthew Short doubtful for semi-final

Matthew Short has scored 83 runs in two matches of ICC Champions Trophy 2025 so far.

Australia’s injury crisis worsened after opener Matthew Short suffered quad injury during their last group stage match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 against Afghanistan in Lahore.

The right-handed batsman looked in visible discomfort throughout his 20-run knock. He also did a splendid job with the ball, conceding just 21 runs in his seven-over spell.

Earlier, Australia came into the tournament with injuries to key players, including regular skipper Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh, and Cameron Green, while Mitchell Starc and Marcus Stoinis missed the tournament due to personal reasons and ODI retirement respectively.

Steve Smith doubtful about Matthew Short’s participation in the tournament

Speaking after Australia’s last group stage match, Smith confirmed Matthew Short’s injury and didn’t look optimistic about his recovery before the semi-final.

Smith said, “I think he’ll be struggling. I think we saw tonight he wasn’t moving very well. I think it’s probably going to be too quick between games for him to recover.“

Speaking about Short’s replacement for the semi-final clash, Smith emphasized the squad’s depth and confidence in players stepping up to fill the role.

He added, “We’ve got a few guys there to come in and we’ll be able to fill a job.“

Jake Fraser-McGurk is the only specialist batsman on Australia’s bench and is a like-for-like replacement for Short. He is expected to open alongside Travis Head in the semi-final clash.

Australia have another option in all-rounder Aaron Hardie, who bats in the middle order for Western Australia. In that case, a middle-order batsman would need to be promoted to open alongside Travis Head.

Australia’s squad for ICC Champions Trophy 2025:

Steve Smith (c), Matthew Short, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis, Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Sean Abbott, Ben Dwarshuis, Spencer Johnson, Adam Zampa, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Tanveer Sangha and Aaron Hardie.

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