Australia Opener Matthew Short Ruled Out of Champions Trophy, Cooper Connolly Named Replacement

Australia has suffered a major setback ahead of their Champions Trophy 2025 semi-final against India, as opener Matthew Short has been ruled out of the tournament due to a calf injury. The young all-rounder Cooper Connolly has been named as his replacement for the knockout stages.

ICC has approved Cooper Connolly’s inclusion in the Australian squad after Matt Short was ruled out #ChampionsTrophy

More: https://t.co/IAGZXiAJCd pic.twitter.com/kaNvWAvkiN

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) March 2, 2025

Short sustained the injury while fielding in Australia’s rain-affected match against Afghanistan in Lahore. Despite managing to score a quick 20 runs, he was visibly struggling with his movement. With the semi-final against India approaching rapidly, Australia’s captain Steve Smith admitted that Short’s recovery timeline was too short, making it unlikely for him to feature further in the tournament.

In response to Short’s injury, the ICC’s Event Technical Committee has approved the inclusion of Connolly in the squad. The 21-year-old left-handed batter and spin-bowling all-rounder made his ODI debut last year and was originally part of Australia’s travelling reserves for the Champions Trophy.

Connolly has played six international matches for Australia, including three ODIs, and is regarded as a promising talent for the future. His inclusion provides Australia with additional depth in both the batting and bowling departments as they gear up for a high-stakes knockout clash against India on Tuesday.

Australia’s Updated Squad for the Semi-Finals:

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

                                               

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