Australia opener Matthew Short could miss the semifinal of the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy after suffering a quad injury against Afghanistan in Lahore on Friday.
“He was struggling a bit, and a few days might be too short to recover,” Australia skipper Steve Smith said after the game against Afghanistan was abandoned due to rain, which ensured the Aussies qualified for the semifinals.
Short scored a quickfire 20 off 15 balls, with the help of three fours and a six, before getting caught at mid-on. In two innings in the ongoing Champions Trophy, Short has scored 83 runs at a strike rate of over 102.
Although Smith didn’t mention anyone in particular who could fill in for Short, Jake Fraser-McGurk could come in as a like-for-like replacement for the next game.
on Friday, Australia was chasing a target of 274 and scored 109 for one inside 13 overs before rain stopped play. After about an hour’s delay, the umpires decided to call off the match due to wet conditions.
Australia is currently on top of the Group B standings and will have to wait till Sunday’s match between India and New Zealand to know whether it will travel to Dubai for the first semifinal on March 4, or stay back in Lahore for the second semifinal on March 5.
