Matthew Short is determined to claim a permanent opening spot over Jake Fraser-McGurk after smashing 41 off 26 in a match-winning stand with Travis Head.
David Warner posted a picture on his Instagram Story with Jake Fraser-McGurk, with the caption, “All yours now champion,” after Warner announced his retirement from T20 internationals in June. Many in Australia, including Warner, thought Fraser-McGurk would naturally take his place at the top of the order in Australia’s T20I and maybe even the ODI team.
However, Australia’s selectors aren’t entirely convinced yet, and Matthew Short is determined to prove he deserves the spot. In the first T20I match against England, Short made a strong case by scoring 41 runs from 26 balls, contributing to an impressive 86-run partnership off 36 balls with Travis Head. This performance helped Australia secure the win before the first powerplay ended in Southampton.
While Fraser-McGurk’s rise in the cricket world has been fast, largely due to his outstanding performance in the IPL, Short has been Australia’s most reliable all-format batter in domestic cricket over the last two years. He has also been the best opening batter in the Big Bash League (BBL) for the last two seasons, earning two consecutive MVP awards.
Short wasn’t sure if he’d get the chance to open in this series, as he missed the Scotland series because of the birth of his first child. But now that he’s got the chance, he’s eager to secure his spot at the top after being moved around in his previous eight T20I innings.
“I only found out last night,” Short said after Australia’s 28-run win. “With Davey Warner out, you know there’s an opening, but Jake Fraser-McGurk had been playing in the last few games in Scotland, so I wasn’t sure. I’m just happy I got the chance and helped the team win tonight.
“I’ve been in and out of the team for the last 12-18 months, but now with Dave out, I want to grab this chance and secure my spot in the team.”
The opening spots in Australia’s T20I team are some of the most wanted and competitive positions. Australia has many players who can fill the role well. However, where the selectors want to build strength is in the middle order and in the final overs of the game. This was an area that helped Australia win the 2021 World Cup with players like Marcus Stoinis and Matthew Wade, who were shaped into finishers, despite being openers in domestic cricket. Australia has also found a specialist in Tim David, but his performance has cooled down slightly after a hot start to his career. Even so, he is still contributing in one of the toughest batting roles.
In the recent T20 World Cup in the Caribbean, Australia struggled in the middle and death overs, losing to Afghanistan and India, even though they had chances to win both games. They also faltered against England in Southampton, turning a powerplay score of 86 for 1 into a total of 179, getting bowled out without using all 20 overs. While this didn’t cost them the match, it was a concern.
The selectors are keen to make all T20I batters more flexible, and they’ve tried Matthew Short in the middle order during tours of India, New Zealand, and in some ODI matches. However, it’s clear that Short is most comfortable at the top. His numbers prove this—he averages 29.96 with a strike rate of 150.09 when batting in the top three in T20s, but only averages 14.09 with a strike rate of 113.97 when batting lower. In his limited T20I games, the gap is even bigger: he strikes at 186 in the top three but only 126.66 when batting at No.6.
Short has clearly found his style as an opener, and he works well with Travis Head in Australia’s plan to go hard during the powerplay. “It’s a pretty clear plan from the coaches,” Short said. “Just go out with freedom and choose the positive options. Trav and I go into games with that mindset.”
Although Short was picked over Jake Fraser-McGurk for the first game of this series, it doesn’t necessarily mean the selectors have made up their minds for the future, especially as they plan for the 2026 World Cup. Fraser-McGurk’s talent is still promising, though his IPL coach Ricky Ponting noted that his game needs some fine-tuning. In Scotland, Fraser-McGurk struggled, facing 17 dot balls in 23 deliveries across three innings.
Short, on the other hand, made an impact immediately in Southampton, scoring off the first seven balls he faced, and hitting back-to-back sixes on his sixth delivery.
While there is “no pressure” on Fraser-McGurk to succeed right away at the international level, as captain Mitchell Marsh stated, Short’s recent performances are certainly putting pressure on the selectors to consider him as one of Australia’s top opening options.
