Australian all-rounder Matthew Short created history in a losing cause on September 13 in the T20I clash against England. Short bagged a five-wicket haul for just 22 runs but England ended up winning the second T20I by three wickets with an over to spare. He broke the record for best bowling figures in T20Is by an Australian against England held by Shane Watson.
Watson took four wickets for 15 runs against Paul Collingwood's England in 2011. Interestingly, Australia lost that T20I as well. England won the game by one wicket in a last-ball thriller.
Short’s several feats
Short's 5 for 22 is the second-best bowling figures in T20Is against England. The top spot belongs to Indian leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal who took six wickets for 25 runs in 2017. The other bowlers to take a fifer against England in T20Is are Kuldeep Yadav, Tabraiz Shamsi, Jason Holder, Lasith Malinga and Lungi Ngidi.
Short is also the fourth Australian bowler to take a five-wicket haul in T20Is. Ashton Agar is on the top spot with six wickets for 30 runs against New Zealand in 2021. He is followed by Adam Zampa with five wickets for 19 runs against Bangladesh in 2021.
Short's 5 for 22 is also the joint-best bowling figures by a bowler from full-member nations in a losing cause. He shares the spot with Bangladesh's Mustafizur Rahman who took five wickets for 22 runs against New Zealand in 2016.
Short’s performance in losing cause
Earlier, Short scored 28 runs from 24 balls including three fours and a six. He got bowled by leg-spinner Adil Rashid.
He was introduced into the attack by stand-in skipper Travis Head in the ninth over. He got the wicket of England skipper Phil Salt who scored 39 runs from 23 balls. He was brought back into the attack in the 17th over and gave Australia a glimmer of hope. He broke the fourth-wicket partnership with Jacob Bethell's wicket and followed it up with Sam Curran's scalp in the same over.
In the penultimate over, Liam Livingstone hit him for a six and a four. Short got the consolation wicket as he knocked over Livingstone. He scored 87 runs from 47 balls. On the next ball, he got the wicket of Brydon Carse but it wasn't enough to help Australia avoid a defeat.
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