Having usually had to sell himself to get onto a list, Matt Short finished the 2022-23 summer in an unfamiliar position.
A bits-and-pieces player at the Melbourne Renegades, it was more of the same when he arrived at the Adelaide Strikers in 2018.
But it all changed when he took his opportunity at the top of the order in KFC BBL|11, and following back-to-back season tallies of 450-plus runs, along with an incredible start to 2023 with Victoria, the aggressive right-hander is now a wanted man.
First it was Indian Premier League franchise Punjab Kings, signing him as a replacement for injured Englishman Jonny Bairstow.
Other Big Bash clubs came knocking too, with both Melbourne clubs showing interest in the out-of-contract star, while IPL teammate Nathan Ellis also made a pitch to get him to the Hobart Hurricanes.
“It’s not really a position I’ve been in before,” Short told cricket.com.au.
“Normally it’s the opposite way around, it’s me exploring my options and trying to get on lists rather than teams coming to me.”
But his loyalty to the club that helped him emerge as a T20 dynamo won out, with the Strikers today announcing the 27-year-old had penned a three-year contract extension that sees him remain in Adelaide until the end of BBL|15.
“They’ve helped my career to get to where I am now so to repay that and stick with them … it feels great to have re-signed,” said Short.
“It was obviously nice to have that attention and people wanting me at their team, but at the end of the day it was a bit of a no-brainer to stick with Adelaide.
“I wouldn’t be in this position I am now with clubs wanting me if it wasn’t for Adelaide giving me the opportunities at the top of the order the last couple of years and really helping my game get better and better as each year’s gone on.”
While disappointed his performances in his maiden IPL campaign “weren’t 100 per cent there”, reaching 27 or more in three of his six innings but failing to get past 40, Short said the experience proved more to himself that he could hold his own against world’s best.
He likened the competition to the “BBL on steroids” and when not playing he spent his time picking the brains of English teammates Liam Livingstone and Sam Curran among others.
“One thing I took from ‘Livi’ (Livingstone) was just how fearless he is and just backs himself 100 per cent,” said Short.
“Once I started playing and getting a couple of games the challenge was actually staying calm and going about my business rather than getting caught up in all the noise and the whole hype of the IPL, which is pretty easy to do.
“I was just trying to stick to what works for me and what got me there in the first place. And that’s just keeping things simple and trying to block out all the other pressures.
“It was good to get out there and test myself in the biggest T20 comp in the world.
“A nice starting point in overseas cricket but hopefully one that continues in the next couple of years.
“I know I can step up to that pressure – although the performances or the runs probably weren’t what I was hoping for, but I felt mentally I was pretty good at blocking all that out and just sticking to my own game.”
Having led the Strikers to the highest run chase in BBL history with an unbeaten century against the Hurricanes as captain, Short could again be given leadership opportunities next season with Travis Head likely to be away with international commitments and out-of-contract veteran quick Peter Siddle potentially on the move.
That was his maiden T20 century and within two months he’d added three more, including his maiden List A and Marsh Sheffield Shield hundreds for Victoria.
But as he enters his ninth season in the competition now as one of the BBL’s hottest talents, the in-demand reigning player of the tournament has vowed not to deviate from the approach that got him there in the first place.
“I’m going to still keep things very simple, that’s what’s worked for the last couple of years,” said Short.
“Rather than trying to steer away from what I’m most comfortable with, it’s just going out there with a pretty clear mind and just seeing the ball and hitting it, no fear of getting out or of failure, it’s just going out there enjoying myself and seeing what happens.”
Adelaide Strikers BBL|13 squad (so far): Wes Agar, Cameron Boyce, Alex Carey, Travis Head, Henry Hunt, Thomas Kelly, Ben Manenti, Matt Short, Henry Thorton, Jake Weatherald
