Australia is gearing up for the 1st semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 against India on March 4. The team has announced Cooper Connolly, the 21-year-old batting all-rounder, as a replacement for the injured Matthew Short, who played as an opener for the team in the group stage. Australia has a lot of hopes from the youngsters as they are already suffering from a lot of injuries in this tournament.
Cooper Connolly replaces injured Matthew Short in Australian squad
Cricket Australia has announced Cooper Connolly as a replacement for Matthew Short, who is suffering a quad injury and ruled out of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Short scored 83 runs in two innings in the tournament, including a crucial half-century against England.
The 21-year-old Cooper Connolly made his debut in England last year and was a travelling reserve of the Australian squad initially. On Monday, the ICC’s Event Technical Committee approved his inclusion in the squad.
The left-handed batter has played only three ODIs for Australia and scored 10 runs with an average of 10.00 against England, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. However, he had an amazing Big Bash League (BBL) season this year, where he finished as the third highest run getter with 351 runs in 10 matches. He batted with an average of 50.14 and a 131.46 strike rate.
Now he is expected to open with Travis Head in the 1st Semi Final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 against India on March 4 at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Steven Smith led Australia, finishing in 2nd position in the Group B points table with 4 points. They started well by defeating England in their first match by 5 wickets, and their last two games were affected by rain.
On the other hand, Rohit Sharma’s Team India dominated the league stage, finishing at the top of the Group A points table. The team defeated Bangladesh, Pakistan, and New Zealand in their group stage matches to cement their place in the semifinals.
