ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Matthew Short Likely to Miss Champions Trophy 2025 Semifinal After Injury Setback

Australia's cricket player Matthew Short might not play in the team's semi-final match at the Champions Trophy. The opening batsman got a thigh injury during the game against Afghanistan on Friday. The match between Australia and Afghanistan was stopped due to rain, so both teams got one point each, and Steve Smith and his team made it to the semi-finals.

Australia captain Steve Smith said that Short will have a hard time recovering in time for the semi-final. With the opener unlikely to play, Jake Frazer-McGurk is expected to take his place at the top of the batting order. The hard-hitting batsman has been on the bench so far in the Champions Trophy.

“I think he’ll (Short) 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,” Smith said.

"We've got a few guys there to come in to fill a job and we are looking forward to that," Smith added.

Short scored only 20 runs from 15 balls before getting out. The match was later called off due to rain, and the poor drainage at the newly upgraded Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore was clearly visible. Because the game was abandoned, Afghanistan now has a very slim chance of reaching the semi-finals. Shahidi and his team can only qualify if England defeats South Africa by 207 runs on Saturday.

Australia's Updated Squad for Champions Trophy Semi-Final

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

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