Australian opener Konstas says he has 'come a long way'
But he only lasted one more Test before being jettisoned with some pundits seeing his batting as "reckless".
With a struggling Marnus Labuschagne dropped for the opening Test in Barbados on June 25 and Steve Smith out nursing an injured finger, Konstas has another chance, confirmed as a certain starter.
"The emotions probably got to me with the crowd," Konstas, who has his Test cap No.468 tattooed on his forearm, said of his explosive Boxing Day knock.
"I've been trying to focus on a few key areas with my batting coach, and I feel like I've come a long way, so hopefully I can display that in the next few Test matches."
Konstas is set to open alongside Usman Khawaja, 19 years his senior, with an opportunity to cement the position as his own.
Since David Warner retired some 18 months ago, Australia have tried five openers, including Konstas, and with an Ashes series against England later this year they need stability.
"Very excited. Obviously it's a tough team to crack into as we've got legends of the game," said the teenager.
"Hopefully I grab my opportunity with both hands.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
6 hours ago
- France 24
Liverpool 'agree deal' for Parma prospect Leoni
According to reports, the Premier League champions will pay £26 million ($35 million) for the highly-rated prospect, who has played just 17 Serie A games for Parma. Liverpool have already splashed out £260 million on the signings of Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez to build from a position of strength after romping to a record-equalling 20th English top-flight title last season. However, the departure of Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen had left Slot with just three centre-backs to choose from. One of those, Joe Gomez has missed most of pre-season due to injury, while doubts remain over the future of Ibrahima Konate, who has just one year left on his contract at Anfield. "The clubs have agreed a deal but he hasn't signed for us yet. The moment when he signs for us I can go into more detail," said Slot at a press conference ahead of Liverpool's Premier League opener against Bournemouth on Friday. Despite Leoni's arrival, Liverpool could add more centre-back cover before the end of the transfer window with reports linking them with a move for Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi. Liverpool have not won back-to-back league titles since 1984 and Slot expects it be an even tougher challenge to defend their crown given the turnover in his squad. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Caoimhin Kelleher have also departed, while the club is still coming to terms with the tragic loss of Diogo Jota, who died in a car crash last month. "The main reason that is so difficult is because there are so many competitors who can win the league. It's unbelievable if you are able to do it in this league, "added Slot. "This year will be even harder than before. "We have lost five to six players who played quite a lot of minutes last season, and brought in four, so it's normal there is adaptation." The fee to bring Wirtz to England from Leverkusen could rise to a British transfer record £116 million. Slot, though, believes the German international has the mentality to cope with the pressure of that price tag. "When you see him play he is so creative. He is mentally strong, he doesn't get distracted by a transfer fee or anything else," added the Dutch coach. "Good players always find a way to play well in good teams. He has to adjust to England, the league and the intensity, and his team-mates. His adjustment has already gone quite well, more than we expected."
France 24
8 hours ago
- France 24
Brady didn't understand football, says Rooney after 'work ethic' jibe
Former Manchester United and England captain Rooney, was sacked as Birmingham manager in January 2024 after less than three months in charge. Seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Brady, who became a minority shareholder at Birmingham in August 2023, said he was "a little worried about our head coach's work ethic" during a recently-aired documentary after visiting Blues' training ground two months later. "I think Tom came in once, which was the day before a game where the days are a little bit lighter anyway, and I don't think he really understood football that well," Rooney said on his new podcast, The Wayne Rooney Show. "Football is not NFL -- NFL works for three months a year. Players do need rest as well, so I think he's very unfair, the way he's come out and portrayed that." Following Rooney's departure, Birmingham appointed Tony Mowbray and Gary Rowett as managers in the 2023/24 season but were relegated to League One. "When I went into Birmingham, they were in a mess really," added Rooney. "Hence the fact that the players weren't really the players who could take the club forward. Since then the project, headed by American-based hedge fund Knighthead Capital, has turned around. Birmingham's wealthy backers invested an unprecedented £30 million ($41 million) in transfers for a League One club last season and broke an English Football League record by amassing 111 points as they stormed to the title. "Listen, I respect Tom Brady massively," said Rooney. "He's one of the greatest, if not the greatest athletes of all time and Birmingham do look like they're getting it right now, which is good and I think what they have done is got the players out that they needed to get out." © 2025 AFP
France 24
12 hours ago
- France 24
Liverpool splash out to secure status as Premier League's top dogs
On top of retaining veteran stars Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah to new contracts, the Reds have splashed out £260 million ($350 million) and are reportedly far from finished in the transfer market. Two of the Bundesliga's most promising talents Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike have arrived at Anfield to add extra creativity and goals. Jeremie Frimpong has also made the move from Germany with the daunting task of replacing Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back, while Milos Kerkez joined from Bournemouth as the long-term successor to Andy Robertson at left-back. More defensive reinforcements are imminent with the club closing in on deals for Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi and 18-year-old Italian centre-back Giovanni Leoni from Parma. But it is the potential addition of Newcastle striker Alexander Isak for a British transfer record fee in excess of £115 million that is the transfer saga of the English summer. Risky and rare strategy Liverpool were among the lowest Premier League spenders last year as Slot oversaw a steady transition from Jurgen Klopp in spectacular style. A huge investment this time round is also possible because the Reds are among the slickest movers in the market when it comes to sales. The departures of Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Jarell Quansah, Caoimhin Kelleher, Alexander-Arnold and Tyler Morton have raised around £200 million. Liverpool's bold strategy of tearing up a title-winning team is a risky and rare experiment. Only once, Manchester City in 2019, have the Premier League champions been the biggest spending English club in the market since 2007. After years of battling against the financial power of Abu Dhabi-backed City, Liverpool are now flexing their muscles thanks to years of commercial growth and prudent ownership. "It doesn't feel Liverpool-like to me," said former defender Jamie Carragher at the thought of a new £69 million striker Ekitike playing second fiddle to Isak. After decades in the doldrums prior to Klopp's arrival, Liverpool are aiming to bring back glory days the club has not since the 1980s. The last time Liverpool won back-to-back titles was in 1984 and doing so this season would come with the added bonus of overtaking Manchester United as English football's top dogs. To do so, Slot has recognised the need to strike the right balance that still harnesses the best from his side's extra firepower. A pre-season trend of high-scoring encounters continued in losing the Community Shield to Crystal Palace on penalties after twice blowing the lead. "Now we are better in creating and getting promising situations than we were, in my opinion, throughout the whole of last season," said Slot. "What made us really strong last season was we only won mostly by a margin of one goal and that had mostly to do with us keeping a clean sheet or as a maximum conceding one goal." Liverpool also have extra motivation to defend their title as they try to honour a lost friend and team-mate in Diogo Jota. The Portuguese international was killed aged just 28 alongside his brother after a car accident in northern Spain last month.
