Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has proposed a bold suggestion to current leader Steve Smith regarding the crucial semifinal against India in the 2025 Champions Trophy in Dubai, amidst the team's dilemma over filling a vacancy at the top of the batting order. This situation arose after opener Matthew Short was ruled out of the tournament due to a quadriceps injury.

Short sustained the injury during Australia's final group match against Afghanistan last week, leading to the promotion of traveling reserve Cooper Connolly into the squad. While Connolly is eager to seize this opportunity on the spin-friendly pitch in Dubai, Ponting, in a conversation with ICC, endorsed the inclusion of the powerful young batsman Jake Fraser-McGurk as Short's replacement for the upcoming match against India.

"He can slot straight into that position," Ponting stated in the latest edition of The ICC Review. "To be honest, that's the way I would probably go and hope that he has one of his days because in games like these, the semifinals, must-win, big games, you need to throw caution to the wind."

Despite being only 22 years old, Fraser-McGurk has yet to make a significant impact in his seven ODI appearances for Australia, accumulating just 98 runs at an average of 14, albeit with a strike rate of 132.

Alternatively, Ponting suggested that captain Smith might consider moving himself up the batting order, given his impressive performances as an opener in T20 cricket.

"They could even move Steve Smith up there and open the batting," Ponting remarked. "He's done a terrific job when he's opened in T20 cricket over the last couple of years. He's adept at facing fast bowling, which is crucial for countering the new ball and navigating through the middle overs."

Ponting also mentioned the possibility of promoting Josh Inglis to the top of the order, allowing for the inclusion of another left-handed batsman like Cooper Connolly in the middle order to enhance their spin options.

Ponting seconds Nasser Hussain

The esteemed former England cricketer, alongside Mike Atherton, was among the initial voices to assert that India has been granted a favorable position, given that the ICC has scheduled all their Champions Trophy matches in Dubai. While India’s captain, Rohit Sharma, refuted these assertions by stating that the team has competed on various pitches during their three group matches, Ponting identified India as the frontrunners against Australia, citing this same perspective.

"I believe India will enter this match as the favorites. There is no doubt about that considering their performance in the tournament thus far," he remarked. "The fact that they have consistently played at the same venue means they have not had to relocate or travel. They have been training on those pitches continuously, whereas Australia has hurriedly arrived in Dubai to prepare for the match."

Read Also: Varun Set to Play: Kumble Advises India to Stick with Spin Quartet vs AUS

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