Australia’s Matthew Short Doubtful for Champions Trophy Semi-Final After Injury

Australian opener Matthew Short is expected to miss the Champions Trophy semifinal against India or New Zealand following the in-form batsman's quad injury in the rain-abandoned game against Afghanistan.
Short had scored 20 off 15 balls on Friday but had appeared to be in obvious discomfort before being bowled by Azmatullah Omarzai as Australia made it to the semifinals with four points.

ALSO SEE:  Jos Butler Pens Down From England Captaincy

Short suffered an injury late in Afghanistan's innings, and though opening the batting with Travis Head, he could not move freely between the wickets, and mostly played shots for boundaries. He scored 20 from 15 deliveries in an important opening partnership of 44 runs in 4.3 overs before being caught at mid-on. Post-match, captain Steven Smith recognized the time limit on Short's recovery.
I believe he'll be fighting. I believe we got to see tonight he wasn't running that well. I believe it's most likely going to be too fast between games for him to recover," Smith claimed during the post-match ceremony.
Jake Fraser-McGurk, a replacement for the injured Mitchell Marsh, is the spare batter in the squad and could be a direct swap for Short at the top of the order. However, other options are available, with all-rounder Aaron Hardie possibly stepping in if someone else is moved up to open.
“We’ve got a few guys available to fill the role," Smith said.
If Short is officially ruled out of the tournament for the remainder of it, left-handed batsman and left-arm spinner Cooper Connolly may be brought in as a traveling reserve. Short's absence would also take away a spin-bowling option since he had bowled seven superb overs for 21 runs against Afghanistan. Australia still has other spin-bowling options in the form of Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne, who claimed two wickets against England but were not given a run on Friday.
Australia was already struggling with a few injuries heading into the tournament, with Marsh (back), Pat Cummins (ankle), Josh Hazlewood (hip), Mitchell Starc (ankle) out of action, and Marcus Stoinis retiring.
The other Group B team's fate is still unclear, but South Africa is most likely to accompany Australia. But the venues for the semi-finals will only be known after the India-New Zealand match on Sunday evening. The standings at the end of Group B will be determined after South Africa plays England on Saturday, but India and New Zealand are already destined for their respective venues in Dubai and Lahore.
Australia will play the winner of the India-New Zealand match in the semi-final. Australia will play the loser of that match.
Regardless of which team goes to Dubai, they will have only slightly more than 24 hours to prepare. Conditions in Dubai, where India hosts all their matches, have been spin-friendly, and Australia has leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha as a possible frontline choice.