Australia's Matthew Short bats during the ICC Champions Trophy cricket match between Australia and Afghanistan, in Lahore, Pakistan. (AP)Australia opener Matt Short is set to miss the Champions Trophy semi-finals after suffering a thigh injury during Friday’s abandoned Group B match against Afghanistan in Lahore. The in-form opener suffered a quad injury in the field and hobbled his way to a brisk 20 off 15 balls.
Skipper Steve Smith said the opener was unlikely to be fit to face India or New Zealand on Tuesday or Wednesday.
“I think he’ll be struggling,” Smith said. “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.”
Jake Fraser-McGurk would offer similar skills as a replacement for Short at the top of the batting order, while young spin-bowling all-rounder Cooper Connolly is Australia’s travelling reserve.
“We’ve got a few guys there to come in to fill a job,” Smith added.
The 29-year-old Short had impressed in the opening match against England, setting the tone in their record-breaking chase with 63 off 66 balls, before Josh Inglis and Alex Carey carried Australia to victory.
Australia will play their semi either against India in Dubai on Tuesday or against New Zealand on Wednesday in Lahore. They will only get to know their semifinal opponent after the Group A fixture between India and New Zealand on Sunday.
Australia squad: Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Spencer Johnson, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matt Short, Adam Zampa. Travelling reserve: Cooper Connolly
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