Champions Trophy: Ricky Ponting Recommends Jake Fraser-McGurk As Matthew Short’s Replacement For Semi-Final Against India

March 4, 2025: Ahead of the semi-final clash against India in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025 at the Dubai International Stadium on Tuesday, former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has backed Jake Fraser-McGurk to replace the injured Matthew Short in the all-important match.

Short picked up a quad injury during Australia’s group match against Afghanistan, which led to the promotion of reserve player Cooper Connolly into the squad. Connolly, a left-arm spinner and powerful hitter, is a like-for-like replacement for Short. While Connolly would likely contribute with both bat and ball, particularly on Dubai’s spin-friendly wicket, Ponting believes Fraser-McGurk offers a better option for this crucial match.

Fraser-McGurk, who is approaching his 23rd birthday, is known for his aggressive batting in limited-overs cricket. Despite limited success in ODIs, where he has played seven matches and averaged just 14 runs, he has a strike-rate of 132, showing his potential to accelerate the innings. Ponting, speaking on The ICC Review, emphasized the need to take risks in such big games and backed Fraser-McGurk to deliver on the big stage.

“He can slot straight into that position. To be honest, that’s the way I would probably go and just hope that he has one of his days because in games like these, the semi-finals, must-win, big games, you need to throw caution to the wind. I think he’s the sort of player that if you back him and give him an opportunity, he might just be good enough to win a big game for you like that,” Ponting said.

Ponting also suggested other potential options for Australia, including moving Steve Smith up the order to open the batting. Smith has done well in T20 cricket as an opener and is a solid player against fast bowling, a strategy that could work well on Dubai’s pitches.

“They could even move Steve Smith up there and open the batting. He’s done a terrific job when he’s opened in T20 cricket the last couple of years. He’s a good player of fast bowling, which was one of the points I made before trying to negate that new ball and get through to those middle-overs,” he added.

Alternatively, Ponting mentioned the possibility of placing Josh Inglis at the top of the order and leaving Cooper Connolly to offer another left-handed option in the middle order for spin, providing depth and balance to the team.

Ultimately, Ponting’s preference remains with Fraser-McGurk, highlighting his impressive performance in the 2024 IPL where he finished with a strike-rate of 234 from nine innings. “He probably has been a little bit disappointed with his output in the opportunities that he’s had in the last six months. So this might just be the game where he can do something…like he did in the IPL with the Delhi Capitals last season,” Ponting said.

As Australia prepares for a high-pressure semi-final against India, Ponting’s endorsement of Fraser-McGurk adds an intriguing layer of potential to Australia’s batting line-up for the crucial clash.