Matt Short Eager to Step Up as Captain for Australia’s T20 Series Against Pakistan

MELBOURNE – Australian batsman Matt Short has expressed his desire to take on a leadership role during the upcoming T20 series against Pakistan, especially with Mitchell Marsh set to miss the matches due to paternity leave. Despite having fewer than 20 international white-ball appearances, the 28-year-old Victorian showcased his captaincy skills last season by leading the Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League.

With a squad missing several regular Test players, Short finds himself among the contenders for captaincy alongside Glenn Maxwell, Adam Zampa, and Josh Inglis. “I’ve done it for a little bit now with the Adelaide Strikers and really enjoyed being involved in making some of the calls,” Short said, expressing his enthusiasm for the role. “The communication at the moment is ... they still haven’t made up their mind, but if it was me they wanted, I’d definitely put my hand up for it.”

Short's rise to potential captaincy is notable, especially after he was overlooked for Australia’s squad in the recent T20 World Cup held in the USA and West Indies. He played his first T20 International in seven months in September and is now eager to establish himself further, particularly following David Warner's retirement. In the previous BBL season, Short led the batting charts with 541 runs in 11 matches, earning him the Player of the Tournament award for the second consecutive year.

The competition for the opening position in the white-ball format is heating up, with Short likely to go head-to-head with Jake Fraser-McGurk, who has also made an impression after a successful stint in the Indian Premier League and scoring his first international fifty against England in September.

The two will unofficially compete for the opener's spot when they play together for Australia in the first of three One-Day Internationals against Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Monday. The T20 series is set to commence in Brisbane on November 14.

Short is also preparing to face a bowling attack coached by his former mentor at the Strikers, Jason Gillespie. He acknowledged Gillespie's significant influence on his development, noting, “He’s seen plenty of me batting in the nets and in games, and I’m sure he’s going to hand that onto some of their bowlers.”