India Vs Australia Champions Trophy 2025 Semifinal: Australia’s opening batsman Matthew Short has been ruled out due to injury. In his place, Cooper Connolly has been added to the squad.
The first semifinal match of the Champions Trophy 2025 between India and Australia is set to take place on March 4 at the Dubai International Stadium. However, just before this crucial clash, Australia has received a major setback. The Australian team’s star opening batsman, Matthew Short, has been ruled out of the tournament due to injury. The team has also announced his replacement. All-rounder Cooper Connolly has been included in the squad in place of Short.
Injury During Fielding
Matthew Short sustained a quad injury while fielding during the match against Afghanistan. Even though he managed to score 20 runs off 15 balls, he appeared to be struggling while running between the wickets. After the match, captain Steve Smith admitted that Short might not recover in time for the semifinal. He said,
"I don’t think he will be fit in time for the semifinal. We saw today that he wasn’t entirely comfortable. It might take some time for him to recover from this injury."
Who Will Open for Australia Now?
With Matthew Short’s absence, Australia will have to make changes to its opening combination. However, they have several options:
- Jake Fraser-McGurk – A right-handed explosive batsman, who has performed exceptionally well in domestic cricket, is a strong contender for the opening slot.
- Aaron Hardie – An all-rounder, who contributes with both bat and ball, is another possible replacement as an opener.
- Cooper Connolly – The newly included all-rounder could also be considered as an opening batsman.
Short’s Recent Performance
Matthew Short has been in good form in the Champions Trophy 2025. The 29-year-old played a match-winning knock of 63 runs off 66 balls against England in Australia’s opening match. Against Afghanistan, he started well but couldn’t play a big innings due to his injury.
Predicted Playing XI for Both Teams
India’s Playing XI:
- Rohit Sharma (C)
- Shubman Gill
- Virat Kohli
- Shreyas Iyer
- KL Rahul
- Hardik Pandya
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Axar Patel
- Washington Sundar
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Arshdeep Singh
- Harshit Rana
- Mohammad Shami
- Varun Chakravarthy
- Rishabh Pant
Australia’s Playing XI:
- Steve Smith (C)
- Travis Head
- Jake Fraser-McGurk
- Aaron Hardie
- Glenn Maxwell
- Marnus Labuschagne
- Alex Carey
- Josh Inglis
- Sean Abbott
- Ben Dwarshuis
- Nathan Ellis
- Spencer Johnson
- Tanveer Sangha
- Adam Zampa
- Cooper Connolly (Replaced Matthew Short)
