Champions Trophy 2025: Australia qualified for the Champions Trophy 2025 semifinals following the washout of their match against Afghanistan at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on February 28. But the joy was short-lived as a huge injury scare lies ahead with Matthew Short set to miss the semifinal encounter.
Injury To Short
Short incurred a quad injury while playing in the match, throwing his availability for the semifinal into doubt. The first semifinal will take place on March 4 while the second is on March 5.
Australia may be forced to change their XI for their knockout semi-final at the #ChampionsTrophy against India or New Zealand 🤔https://t.co/K50BIipsdt
— ICC (@ICC) March 1, 2025
In the post-match ceremony, Australian captain Steve Smith made it clear that Short’s injury was bad and would probably take some time to heal. Though no formal replacement has been announced yet, Jake Fraser-McGurk is widely regarded as the front-runner to replace him since they have a similar style of play.
“He was struggling a bit, and a few days might be too short to recover,” Australia captain Steve Smith said.
Australia Started Off Brilliantly
Australia was well placed in the pursuit of 274, having reached 109 for 1 in only 13 overs, when rain intervened, and the match eventually was abandoned on account of a wet outfield.
Australia advance to the semis 🇦🇺#ChampionsTrophy #AFGvAUS ✍️: https://t.co/17Q04ho1qz pic.twitter.com/G0ZIFeTl78
— ICC (@ICC) February 28, 2025
