Matthew Short has signed as an injury replacement for Josh Philippe and will go straight into the squad for tonight’s opening fixture against Seattle Orcas. 

Short, 27, was the Player of the Tournament in the Big Bash League this year, scoring 458 runs and taking 11 wickets for the Adelaide Strikers. A series of performances that saw him then sign for Punjab Kings in IPL 2023.

Short is powerful batter and scored his maiden T20 century in January this year during the highest ever run chase in BBL history, as he scored 100* off 59 balls to take down Hobart Hurricanes mammoth total of 230. He has also found success with the ball, regularly opening the bowling for the Strikers with his quick off-breaks.

His performance against the Hurricanes was all the more remarkable as it came on his captaincy debut, with regular skipper Peter Siddle sitting out with an injury. 

Short signs after wicketkeeper-batter Josh Philippe suffered an ankle injury during training which will force him to miss the entirety of the tournament. 

“Injuries are a part of sport and we’re all gutted for Josh,” said Washington Freedom General Manager Michael Klinger. “Fortunately we had a number of contingency plans in place for exactly this type of scenario and were able to call on Matt at short notice and he’ll come straight into contention for selection.

“He’s playing some of the best cricket in his career at the moment and we’re delighted to have been able to add him to the squad.”