Australia Draft BBL Superstar Into Squad Ahead Of India Semi-Final Clash

Ahead of the all-important semi-final clash against India, Australia have drafted all-rounder Cooper Connolly, who was a travelling reserve, into the squad for the injured Matthew Short.

Short had a promising tournament with both bat and ball but he suffered an untimely quad injury in the clash against Afghanistan in Lahore. Considering he is a batter who doubles up as an extra spin option for the side, Australia have drafted Connolly in as a like-for-like replacement.

Connolly, 21, who bats in the middle-order and bowls left-arm spin, was the joint Player of the Tournament in BBL 2024/25, where he scored 351 runs @ 50.14 and took 6 wickets at an ER of 7.41. The Australian selectors and management have been really high on his potential, and he’s already played all three formats for Australia, including making his Test debut against Sri Lanka in Galle last month.

It remains to be seen, though, if he’ll feature in the semi-final against India in Dubai. Should Connolly feature, Australia will then have to promote one of the incumbents to open. The Aussies also have the option of bringing in all-rounder Aaron Hardie if they need a seam-bowling all-rounder. Alternatively, they can also replace Short directly with Jake Fraser-McGurk, who is already in the squad. But that would mean the Kangaroos sacrificing a bowling option.

The semi-final will be played in Dubai on February 4 (Tuesday).