Australian top-order batter joins PSL 10 draft

The Pakistan Super League (PSL) officially announced on Monday that Australian cricketer Matthew Short has entered the player draft for the 10th edition of the league.  

The announcement was shared on the PSL’s social media platforms, featuring a banner and the caption, "Australian explosive batter Matthew Short enters the HBL PSL Draft."  

At 29 years old, Short brings valuable T20 experience, having played 14 T20I matches for Australia. In those appearances, he scored 293 runs at a remarkable strike rate of 163.68, including one half-century.  

Short has also played in several top franchise leagues worldwide, such as Australia's Big Bash League (BBL), The Hundred, Major League Cricket (MLC), and the Indian Premier League (IPL). In the BBL, he has featured in 82 matches, accumulating 2,033 runs at a strike rate of 140.69, with 14 fifties and one century. He is currently playing for the Adelaide Strikers in this season's BBL.  

Notably, Short is the fourth Australian and the 19th overall foreign player to sign up for the PSL 10 draft, which will be held in Gwadar for the first time. The draft event will take place on January 11, 2025.  

The pick order for the player draft has also been announced. Two-time champions Lahore Qalandars will make the first pick in the opening round of the platinum category, followed by rivals Karachi Kings. 2019 champions Quetta Gladiators will pick third, while Peshawar Zalmi will go fourth. Last season's runners-up Multan Sultans and reigning champions Islamabad United will pick fifth and sixth, respectively.  

Foreign players registered for the PSL 10 player draft include: Matthew Short, Gudakesh Motie, Alex Hales, Luke Wood, Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Usman Khawaja, Corbin Bosh, Rilee Rossouw, Colin Munro, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Tom Curran, David Willey, Dawid Malan, Jason Roy, Shakib Al Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman, and Sikandar Raza.