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Australia have announced young all-rounder Cooper Connolly as the replacement of injured Matthew Short ahead of their semi-final clash against India in the ongoing Champions Trophy, according to the ICC.
Short injured his calf while fielding and appeared hampered when making a quickfire 20 at the top of Australia's batting order before rain saw the match with Afghanistan in Lahore abandoned. "I think he'll be struggling. I think we saw tonight he wasn't moving very well, and I think it's probably going to be too quick between games for him to recover," Smith had said of Short's injury status as quoted by the ICC. Connolly has played in six internationals for Australia, three of which have been ODIs. The left-handed batter, who also bowls left-arm spin, will offer another spin bowling option to Australia, considering the nature of the Dubai surface. In three ODIs, Connolly has struck 10 runs and is yet to take his maiden scalp for the Baggy Greens. Inexperienced top-order batter Jake Fraser-McGurk seems the most likely replacement for Short, while captain Steve Smith may consider moving himself to the top of the order to partner Travis Head so the side could introduce an extra bowling option. All-rounders Sean Abbott and Aaron Hardie are also in Australia's 15-player squad for the Champions Trophy, while spinner Tanveer Sangha is another potential player who could earn a place in the side for the semi-finals. Australia qualified for the semi-finals in second place with four points out of three fixtures. India, who finished at the top of Group A with six points, will face Australia in the first semi-final on Tuesday in Dubai. Australia squad: 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. (ANI)
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