I Was Probably Close To Giving It Up On Cricket: D'Arcy Short

D’Arcy Short’s meteoric rise in cricket is nothing less than a fairy-tale. The left-handed batsman marked his arrival on the big stage with a sensational outing in the Big Bash League season.

Short struck 572 runs at a stunning average of 57.20 with a strike-rate just shy of 150 for the Hurricanes this season, breaking Perth Scorchers’ Shaun Marsh’s record from the second season for the most-prolific Big Bash campaign.

The breakthrough season helped him bag the award for player of the BBL, get a lucrative IPL contract with Rajasthan Royals. He also forced his way into the Australian T20 side for the tri-series with England and New Zealand. He had gone on to justify the selection with knocks of 36*, 76 and 50 as Australia stormed to the trophy undefeated.

Short is now gearing up for an ODI debut. It will provide him with a chance to forge an opening partnership that could take him all the way to next year’s World Cup, and beyond if he delivers. In absence of suspended David Warner, Short is more than likely to partner Aaron Finch for the upcoming series against England.

Things, however, could have been much different for Short and he could have found himself well far from the hustle and bustle of international cricket. In a startling revelation, the 27-year old has revealed that he was close to giving up on the game.

“I was probably close to giving it up for a while,” Short said after training at Lord’s on Tuesday. “It’s been quite a whirlwind experience in the last 12 months.”

But while Short proved his mettle at the international stage, he failed to deliver in the IPL. He scored just 115 runs in 7 games at a strike-rate of a shadow over 116. Short is now looking to make the most of his playing spinners in India.

“The IPL experience was quite a different one for me. I struggled a little bit at the start – got run out twice which wasn’t the greatest start for me. But it was definitely a good experience in the end and hopefully I’ve learnt a lot from it,” he said.

“I faced a lot of spin over there so hopefully I can put that to use. Working on that and different parts of my game rather than being one-dimensional,’ he added.

Short is also developing his left-arm wristspin by working with the legendary Shane Warne.

“It’s come a long way in a short amount of time and I’m feeling pretty confident with it,” he said, a hint, perhaps, that it will be seen during the one-day series.

One of the key figures in the revival of Short’s career has been the man now in charge of the Australia team – Justin Langer. It was Langer who implored Short to get fit and then brought him into the WA side for the JLT Cup. No wonder he’s comfortable around the new man in charge.

“It’s definitely familiar, just feels like it’s different colours. I get along with him well,” Short said.

What makes Short’s story even more inspirational is that hee is also the first Indigenous Australian batsman to represent his country and just the sixth Indigenous cricketer overall after Dan Christian, Jason Gillespie, Scott Boland, Faith Thomas and Ash Gardner.

“I think it puts a little bit of belief into them [Indigenous players] that they can go further,” Short said when asked about being a role model. “It certainly did for me, getting a go there then making my way into the state side and then the Aussie side. It’s certainly a good pathway for them.

“It means a lot that they have the opportunity to come over here,” he added.