Break in play, if side is one short (3)
I believe the answer is:
tea
'break' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'play if side is one short' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'one' could be 'a' (a thing is one thing) and 'a' is located in the answer.
The remaining letters 'te' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
'in' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for tea that I've seen before include "Oolong, for example" , "Infused beverage" , "Afternoon or evening meal" , "Tisane" , "Afternoon meal; drink" .)