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Short making a big name with BBL exploits

Hurricanes openers whirlwind BBL|07 century put him at the front of the queue for contenders to break into Australia's T20 side

Hobart Hurricanes young gun D'Arcy Short was overlooked for the vacant spot in Australia's ODI squad, but he continued his seemingly inexorable charge towards national colours at the Gabba on Wednesday night.

With a spot in the national side up for grabs and national T20 selector Mark Waugh again watching on from the commentary box, Short smashed the highest score in Big Bash history – an unbeaten 122 from 69 balls – to set up victory for his team against the Heat on their home patch.

Glenn Maxwell, a regular on social media, tweeted throughout the fireworks, suggesting the diminutive left-hander had "barely missed the middle all tournament", before describing the knock as "insane batting" and "pure carnage". David Warner joined the chorus of support, calling the performance "very smart and consistent batting".

It was a power-packed, prolonged (by T20 standards) period of punishment from the 27-year-old, and surely an irresistible statement to the members of Australia's national selection panel ahead of February's T20 tri-series with England and New Zealand.

Probably due to his own outrageous gifts, Waugh isn't one easily impressed, or prone to hyperbole, so when Short cut a six behind point in the fifth over from Heat speedster Brendan Doggett, the legendary batsman's reaction was telling.

"Not many players could've hit that for six," he said simply.

Short goes long with eight maximums in Brisbane

As the records fell, Short built his case for selection; there had been whispers in the past days, given his consecutive returns of 97 and 96 in the first week of the year.

But a return of 400 runs after six games is something else. In fact, only Shaun Marsh has scaled those heights in a single Big Bash tournament prior to Short this summer.

That was back in BBL|02, and his 412 runs came from nine innings at a strike-rate of 128.75. By comparison, Short has batted just six times, and scored his 406 runs at 159.84.

"If it happens, it happens," the powerful left-hander said post-match of national selection. "I'm not going to get my hopes up too much – there's a lot of other good talented players playing at the moment as well."

Short's credentials were only enhanced when he was thrown the ball at a precarious point in the Heat's run chase, and proceeded to send down four overs of his left-arm wrist spin for just 20, picking up the wicket of opener Sam Heazlett in the process.

It's a priceless addition to his skill-set and one he was quick to point out earned him selection in Western Australia's Sheffield Shield team earlier this summer, as a stronger suit than his brutal batting.

Burns drop proves costly for Heat

Brisbane Heat's 'Bash Brother' Chris Lynn, whose calf strain opened the spot that Melbourne Renegades veteran Cameron White ultimately filled – was highly impressed by what he witnessed.

"How good was he? We didn't do ourselves any favours but you've got to give him credit for the hitting," Lynn said, and as the lone man to hit 100 sixes in the Big Bash, his viewpoint was worth listening to.

"He's taken on the short boundary which is the smart option but at the end (of the innings) he's taken on the long boundary and mate, that's unbelievable.

"You could see when he was trying to over-hit the ball, he sort of just corrected himself. It's so easy to get caught up in the moment and go even harder, but to his credit he sat back (and) took a few breaths."

Jumping Jofra pulls down classic catch

The question for selectors, as it was with Lynn last summer, will be where to bat Short if he is indeed picked to debut in the T20 tri-series. The immediate answer is as an opener, against a hard new ball and with limited men patrolling the outfield. But mainstays Warner and Aaron Finch will have something to say about that.

Short of course would be happy to bat anywhere if selected, and you get the sense an army of fans – including Maxwell – will be happy to watch him. 

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