Short stays west despite 'enticing' rival offer

Having turned down a "very enticing" offer to move to Tasmania, Australian limited-overs star D'Arcy Short is confident he can shake off the tag of white-ball specialist this summer and prove his worth against the red ball.

Short has played just 14 first-class games in four years for Western Australia and admits he spent some weeks in the off-season mulling over a contract offer from the Tigers, who told him there would be greater opportunities to play Sheffield Shield cricket in the Apple Isle. 

But when the COVID-19 pandemic ruined Short's plans to play T20 cricket in England this winter, he decided that a first full pre-season at WA in three years would give him the best opportunity to finally prove himself as a red-ball player in his adopted home state.

"It was very enticing in terms of the opportunities that I could have got (in Tasmania)," he told cricket.com.au.

"But I felt like if I stayed here and put in a full pre-season, I can play all formats here as well. That was a challenge for me; I know I can do that here and this is where I want to try and do it.

"I love playing cricket in WA and that's why I'm staying.

"It was a combination of both (cricket and personal reasons). With all the cricket I play and being away so much, I felt like being home when I could is a good option.

"I'm a bit of a homebody anyway, which doesn't really help me in terms of the job. But if I can spend time at home, that's what I want to do. That was one of the main reasons." 

Short has played 28 times for his country in limited-overs cricket but averages just 26 against the red ball domestically, although Shane Warne is among those who believe Short's undeniable talent can work in the longest form of the game as well.

But the left-hander has had precious little opportunity to establish himself in first-class cricket; he's played only five games in the past two seasons, including just one last summer, when he scored a patient 51 as an opener against a NSW side featuring Australia's full-strength Test attack.

But he insists the tag of white-ball specialist doesn't bother him.

"I don't think it's an unfair view, it's just what people have seen," he said.

"I definitely back myself in red-ball cricket as well. I just haven't taken my opportunities as well as I could have or should have in the games that I've played.

"The pressure of wanting to do well and keep my spot plays on my mind a bit as well. I know I can do it, it's just about putting it together in a game.

"I think I slowly proved that last year. Against NSW, I opened the batting against a Test attack and got fifty and batted for a fair amount of time (164 balls).

"I got a fair bit of confidence out of that. It's just about putting a big score on the board when I get a chance."

While Short has been given no guarantees that Shield opportunities will be forthcoming this season, he's relished the chance in the winter to work with WA head coach Adam Voges on the finer points of his red-ball game.

He believes backing the skills that have made him such a destructive force in white-ball cricket is the key to finally cracking the code at first-class level.

"I've probably tried to change things too much (in the past) instead of just keeping it simple like I do in the white-ball game," he said.

"It's just the little things; knowing which balls to play at, being decisive in my shot selection and making sure I'm getting my hands through the ball.

"It's something we (Voges and I) chat about all the time and it's something that I've been working on in the pre-season, my red-ball cricket.

"(I'm) trying to show that I can do it and trying to get my opportunities when I am available."