Media talk of Australia ODI Squad member, Matt Short with the complete Transcript

Source: CA Multicultural Media – eLanka

Matt, congratulations on the call up, again, you know where you’ll be batting and what role you’ll be playing. Thank you. I think I’m going to start off in the middle tomorrow.

I think they’re sort of keeping it pretty, or the options pretty open for the top six. I think they’re going to try some guys in different positions. So yeah, I think I’m starting through the middle tomorrow and then a chance at the top maybe in the next couple of games.

do you feel about this opportunity that’s been presented to you, how does it taste in this more often in Australian teams? Yeah I mean it’s a massive opportunity and I think obviously it’s not a full strength ODI team but I think every opportunity is huge especially with the white ball stuff coming up with the T20 World Cup so any opportunity you get with chucking on these colours I think you really need to make the most of it with how strong the team is going at the moment. You’ve got a base behind you coming up. Yeah, absolutely. I think I’m feeling really confident with the bat and the ball in that matter.

Hopefully I can sort of transition that into the international stage and as I said, feeling really confident. I’m just going to take it as any other game and it’s pretty cliche but really looking forward to getting out.

It will be my first international game in the world. so I really look forward to that. It’s not just any other game, it’s the MSEGA. Yeah, I know, but I think, you know, it’s going to be awesome having some home fans and my family come and have a look. So, yeah, I’m really looking forward. It’s going to be really exciting, but yeah, as I said, it’s trying to keep it similar to any other game and go from there.

What about the prospect of playing with some other Victorian debutants, Fraser McGurk and Sutherland? What can you tell us about them? them and how exciting is it to share the stage with them? Yeah, it’s kind of awesome. It’s a pretty exciting time. You know, even Xavier Bartlett is floating around and some other young guys that haven’t played too much international cricket. So, yeah, there’s a certain, certainly a nice buzz around the change rooms at the moment.

It’s very young and inexperienced, but yeah, everyone’s up and about. It’d be awesome to be able to play with those guys at some stage. You know, they’ve both worked pretty hard to… get to where they are now it’s only just the beginning but yeah they’re here now and yeah hopefully get out there with them at some stage.

That’s a pretty massive 48 hours or so personally having you winning the award and then you shared some amazing news with your fiance as well congratulations. Yeah thank you yep we got to be first -time parents due in September so yeah we kind of launched that yesterday after the awards night so I think it’s just a bit of a relief for for not only me but but Maddie as well with her swimming and everything it’s sort of she doesn’t have to sort of tell anyone now tell any more lies so it’s yeah it’s all out there for everyone to know and yeah she’s doing really well. Shorty put together a big bash, three, four hundred and fifty plus run seasons Victoria as well backing up the consistency you’ve been able to produce the last few years must be immensely satisfying. satisfying. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, it’s been a long road to get to that stage.

Plenty of ups and downs and, yeah, plenty of sort of form, form drops and whatnot, but yeah, as you said, the consistency thing the last three years has been massive for me.

I think that’s probably what’s got me to this point now is sort of, yeah, stringing a few seasons together now and, yeah, I guess the next challenge. is to be able to take that into international cricket.

I’m certainly feeling confident and feel like I’m ready to go to that higher level. So yeah, definitely putting a big emphasis now and putting these last couple of years all behind me now and hopefully lead that into some consistent form in the Aussie colours.

It’s a bodily way back for me. seeing you up and down the order throughout your career, Victoria, but sort of settled at the top with the strikers in the one day stuff, Victoria, over the last couple of years? Yeah, to be honest, I do feel more confident at the top of the order, but any opportunity you get playing for your country, whether it be through the middle or at the top,

I guess that’s a challenge if the spot’s there to be taken, than if that’s the only way in. in, then, you know, you just have to take that opportunity and try and do as best you can and sort of wait your turn in the way.

You know, not everyone’s happy where they’re about. I think everyone wants to, about at the top of your order in whiteball cricket, so, yeah, I guess I’m just really happy to be in the team for one and, yeah, who knows, hopefully some performances in the middle of, if middle orders can, yeah, maybe open up a spot. spot higher up. – And particularly with Glenn missing this series, you got just Adam Zamper as the main spinner.

You potentially more bowling, more bowling role as well, you know, potentially 10 overs in those games. – Possibly. Haven’t spoken too much about the bowling for this game.

Probably more for the quicks with the bigger boundaries square. But yeah, as I said before, I’m really confident with how my bowling is going to be. is going about the other bowling side of things, is probably what helps you get into these teams as well, if you can help out the captain in both facets, and then in the field as well, so yeah, I’m sure there’ll be a few overs here and there, but yeah, we’ll see what happens. Yeah, look, I think there’s always an opening, you know, as I said before that I’ve got this opportunity now And you know if I take it with both hands and do really well then, you know I don’t see a reason why I can’t be looked at in the future or in a full strength squad. So Yeah, they’re just sort of keeping things simple just I think that one of their main message is once you come into this kind of environment, it’s not to change the way you play. You know, you’re here for a reason with what you do, you know, whether it be back at state level or in the BBL. So yeah, they’re messaging pretty simple, just keep things, you know, I’ll play the way I play and don’t change too much.

So Yeah, they’re just sort of keeping things simple just I think that one of their main message is once you come into this kind of environment, it’s not to change the way you play. You know, you’re here for a reason with what you do, you know, whether it be back at state level or in the BBL. So yeah, they’re messaging pretty simple, just keep things, you know, I’ll play the way I play and don’t change too much.

So yeah, their communication’s been really good. Tony Doddermade and George Bailey. obviously a big year in Whiteball cricket again this year, so, yeah, obviously performance is all expected for themselves later on, isn’t it? Have you spoken to anyone who’s starting to get spin four out of five now, or what kind of rhythms you need to get into, kind of?

Yeah, a little bit. I’ll speak to Marcus Stein, it’s a little bit… I remember last series Because he’s been in a similar boat, you know, he’s really dominant at the top of the order throughout the BBL and Probably didn’t quite have the the spot available for him at the international level.

So He’s sort of changed his game a little bit obviously batting through the middle and finishing innings. So I spoke to him a little bit just on sort of yeah that role change and starting with the field out out But I think it’s still having that same positive mindset once I get out there is yeah Hopefully the field is out and you can play some nice shots and you know, there’s more gaps and whatnot. So Yeah, I guess it’s just a different way to building it building innings, but yeah, he’s been really good to talk to you. Yeah, I did Again, it’s probably something I need to work on a little bit more more, but yeah, I think every opportunity you get, you know, playing for Australia or through the middle or, you know, especially in India when it’s really challenging, yeah, you always learn from and, you know, just think in any experience you get there is pretty valuable. Did you manage on the test win by the windies and how? Yeah, it was an unreal win. Yeah, I sort of watched the last half an hour and he just kept coming, didn’t he? I was pretty impressed by how they went and how they came out in that last, well, day three or four was it? So yeah, also their tails up a bit after the win. And yeah, they’re going to be really full of confidence. But yeah, obviously we’ve got a younger squad now and we’re full of confidence as well.

So no, we’re just all looking forward to getting out here here and starting a new series and yeah it can’t wait to get out. Yeah it’s really good I think I had a nice taste of it in South Africa my first T20 series there and it’s it feels like a similar similar environment now it’s yeah everyone’s sort of keen to get out there. The BBLs are a pretty fun time of year and now it’s a sort of roll into a younger group and these ODIs are going to be a really fun couple of weeks. I’ll sort of out a fair few.

My manager is Zach Whelanies, he’s sort of out of box for I think about 15 people and then plenty of tickets on top of that. in the crowd. Coming down. Yeah, there’ll be a few coming down. A lot of guys taking off work for the afternoon and making the trek down, but yeah, there’ll be a lot from my East Barak crew club back in the day and yeah,