Sam Konstas cops brutal truth bomb as tough Australian Ashes decision looms
Sam Konstas has been told that even a starring role in Australia A's tour of India won't guarantee him an Ashes debut after the opener struggled for form against the West Indies.
On Thursday, it was announced that Konstas will feature alongside the likes of Nathan McSweeney, Todd Murphy and Lance Morris for Australia A next month as he tries to retain his spot in the Test side.
It will mark the teenager's first hit out since his horror tour of the West Indies, where he averaged just eight runs across three Tests.
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Cricket Australia views Konstas as the next long-term Test opener, but the move to pick him to play in what is effectively the reserves squad speaks volumes.
It shows selectors feel the 19-year-old needs more experience under his belt before again making the leap into the Test team.
Sam Konstas has been told even an exceptional performance in India won't guarantee him a spot in the team for the upcoming Ashes series. (Photo by Santanu Banik/Speed Media/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
And it was a message echoed by chief Australian selector George Bailey, who suggested even a starring performance in India wouldn't guarantee the teenager a spot in the squad.
'While we'd be thrilled to see that (Konstas make three tons) — and it's a really important tour for us and we're really interested in the performances of players there — there will be some separation and I do think performing across the start of the summer is going to be important,' Bailey said.
Also in the running for the Test opener spot are Kurtis Patterson and Jake Weatherald, who featured in the A series against Sri Lanka A in Darwin last month but were left out of the Indian tour.
Patterson and Weatherald were two of the form batters across the last Sheffield Shield season and will be looking to pile on further runs early this summer when the 2025 season gets underway.
Both will be pushing their case to open the batting come November 21, with Bailey stating domestic form will weigh heavily on Test selection.
'The start of a domestic summer is always critical, given where the Test series always starts, there always tends to be three, four, five rounds of Shield cricket,' he said.
Sam Konstas struggled for runs against the West Indies. (Photo by)
'Performances in the early rounds of Shield cricket always put your name up in lights and always help your team off to a good start.
'That's critically important, and I don't think that will be anything different this year, (but) clearly there will be some players where it's about purely performing and putting as many runs and taking as many wickets as they can.
'For some who are already in the Test team, striking that balance right to make sure they're actually performance ready … that'll be important too.'
Australia have an incredibly one-sided record over England in Ashes Test matches Down Under over the last decade.
England have not won an Ashes series since 2015, drawing two and losing two, and have not won a series – or a Test – in Australia since 2010-11.
The Ashes series will get underway on November 21 in Perth.
- with NewsWire
Originally published as Sam Konstas cops brutal truth bomb as tough Australian Ashes decision looms
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