Latest news with #Konstas
Sydney Morning Herald
5 days ago
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Konstas in limbo as Australia set to stick with Khawaja for Ashes
Konstas' case is less convincing after a return of just 50 runs from six innings at an average of 8.33, including two ducks. The 19-year-old is expected to play at least three Sheffield Shield matches for NSW before the first squad is picked ahead of the Ashes opener in Perth on November 21. 'We're open to all options in terms of the way we're going to stack that up [opening spot],' McDonald said. 'With that comment, it's probably going to create even more debate as to what's happening, but we see [Konstas] as a player we use going forward. It's just a matter of when. 'I think it was a difficult time for Sam. He'll take away some information that will accelerate his growth. By him playing Test cricket I think has been a massive positive. I don't think anyone is damaged by being exposed to Test cricket. 'I think it leaves him where everyone else is in terms of Shield cricket at the start of the season. We're not going to shy away from the fact that [competition] will be big for certain individuals to go about their work and put scores on the board and look at what we need for England.' McDonald said Konstas was aware of technical improvements he needed to make. The coach did not elaborate on what those were. 'There's no doubt he's got some things to work on, like all our players do,' McDonald said. 'He is a highly talented player.' For the second summer in a row, Australia's top order remains unsettled. Nathan McSweeney was picked for last year's Test opener against India but dropped after three matches. 'It feels as though we'll still be a little bit unsettled in terms of what our combinations look like at the top of the order with the way performances have gone here,' McDonald said. 'In saying that, there is a lot of cricket still to come to gather that information. Shield cricket feels like it is going to be the same as the start as last year, where the microscope will be there for certain individuals. ' That game [in Kingston] moved way too fast and at times didn't even look like cricket. If you can give me a good form line on what that looks like for the first Test in Perth, you're a better man than I.' Ponting has also given his verdict on Australia will line up for the Ashes. 'I think the Ashes line-up is going to be like it is right now,' Ponting told The ICC Review. ' You keep your fingers crossed and hope that those guys can get the job done at the start.' 'I'm not going to make any really harsh judgement calls on Sam yet because it was hard work for every batter in that series, there's no doubt about it. [I] think they have to stick with him for a period of time and help him work through these deficiencies that he might have or might not have.' McDonald also praised Cameron Green's performance at No.3 and said his bowling loads may be reduced if he retains that role. 'Would that look like slightly lower bowling loads across a summer? Potentially,' McDonald said. 'That team might look like [Beau] Webster and Green in it, which will be a debate moving forward. Beau Webster is holding his own as a batter only. He's almost made an art of it in first-class cricket.' McDonald also explained Nathan Lyon's omission, which came as a shock to the veteran off-spinner, as Scott Boland was given the nod for a pink ball Test under lights and Australia skittled the West Indies for 27 in the second innings. 'Any time you are delivering that news to a player, it's a difficult moment,' McDonald said. 'I don't think he would have seen it coming. We got to a position where we had no other way to go in our minds. It made perfect sense and once we explained that to Nathan, [there was] buy in. There was disappointment, but he got straight back into what he needed to do. Loading 'That cricket was borderline impossible to play at some stages. Some of those balls from Mitchell Starc, the way the ball behaved under lights … it's a bigger call for what the pink Dukes [ball] looks like for Test match cricket. '[Boland] is a humble champion. He keeps delivering. I'm sure there will be some pressure on us to select him at some stage during the summer. I wouldn't like to be the selector on duty at the MCG, that's all I'll say.'
Sydney Morning Herald
6 days ago
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Sam Konstas was a Boxing Day hero, today he can barely make a run. Where to now for cricket's golden boy?
'I think everything's up in the air at the moment,' former Australian Test captain Mark Taylor, who presented Konstas his baggy green on Boxing Day last year, told this masthead. 'That's for Sam and Usman [Khawaja] because they both haven't set the world on fire.' The numbers are jarring for a player nicknamed 'Pinter' — a pint-sized Punter (Ricky Ponting) — by some in NSW cricket circles. Scores of 60, 8, 23, 22, 3, 5, 25, 0, 17 and 0 leave Konstas with a Test average of 16.3 — the lowest ever by an Australian opener from as many innings. 'You can see the effects of Test cricket affected him mentally,' said former NSW and Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin. 'Test cricket's a tough place. Mentally, if things aren't going your way, there's nowhere to hide. His confidence would have taken a big hit.' How did it get to this point? Where to from here? 'We've got to be really, really careful,' said a former Australian cricketer, speaking on the condition of anonymity. 'He's such a young kid. I feel sorry for him.' A rapid rise and even sharper fall A little over 13 weeks before Konstas walked out to bat on Test debut at the Melbourne Cricket Ground against the best fast bowler on the planet, India's Jasprit Bumrah, he was bowled by a 15-year-old fourth grader in a Sydney Premier Cricket match. Konstas, playing for Sutherland's under-21s Poidevin-Gray team, had already blasted what ended up being a match-winning hundred, yet was dismissed by a young Northern Districts bowler by the name of Rubeindranath Gobinath. The anecdote isn't to crticise Konstas, but to highlight how quickly his star rose. Some believe that hundred, albeit against teenagers, kick-started his season. No one could have predicted he'd be playing for Australia by December. Professional sport is full of sliding door moments and Konstas had several late last year. Konstas was selected to bat at No.6 in a NSW trial match early last season. He then made 25 and 8 in a second XI game for NSW. Only when Steve Smith didn't return for NSW - Konstas thought Australia's No.4 was going to be playing the match - did the teenager get a start at the top of the order in the Sheffield Shield. He responded with twin hundreds at Cricket Central in Sydney and became the name on everyone's lips. Even then, had any number of more experienced found form - Cameron Bancroft, Marcus Harris or Matt Renshaw - Konstas probably wouldn't have debuted at the MCG. An audacious century at Manuka Oval in a Prime Minister's XI game against the touring Indians only added to the intrigue and hype. If Nathan McSweeney had made one reasonable score against India, Konstas wouldn't have played in Melbourne. He was brought in as a 'disruptor', in the words of head coach Andrew McDonald. Had one of Bumrah's seaming deliveries caught his edge on Boxing Day, his debut 60 would not have happened. 'It was not as if he made huge scores,' Taylor said. 'It was the fact he made the papers for a different reason. It gave him a spotlight he probably didn't need. 'Normally, you try and make your way in quietly and then assert your authority once you become a bit more of a senior player. That didn't happen to Sam. It's a lot to handle. I think he's now trying to, quite rightfully, backpedal a bit and settle into the side.' Haddin believes the uniqueness of the debut shaped perceptions. 'I think that might have played a role in the hype around what everyone expected in Test cricket,' Haddin said. 'I don't think we'll ever see a debut quite like that. What comes with that was a lot of outside pressure and expectations.' In October, Konstas became the third-youngest player to make centuries in both innings of a Shield game, behind Ponting and Archie Jackson. Then, his first-class average was 50.25. After another 28 first-class innings, it's now 30.34. 'I think he's still probably trying to work out exactly the right way to play,' Taylor said. 'He hasn't been helped [in the West Indies] by not being given a decent pitch to play a normal, orthodox innings.' Much has been made of conditions in the Caribbean. Australia anticipated dry wickets and the chance to play two spinners. Instead, all three surfaces — in Barbados, Grenada and Kingston — offered exaggerated seam movement. 'That cricket was borderline impossible to play at some stages,' Australian head coach Andrew McDonald said this week on SEN. According to data seen by the Australian team, the average seam movement in the third Test was 0.84 degrees, which is extreme. Of the 670 Test matches where data has been kept on ball movement, Australia's latest rout of the West Indies was the 15th most for seam in history. Konstas' strike rate for the series was 33.11 and he was caught between batting styles. 'If you look at the contrasting techniques of the way the openers went about it, some tried to nut it out, work hard and battle through. You end up making 20 off 100 balls and still nick one anyway,' Taylor said. 'I think Sam wasn't sure whether to try that method or try, dare I say it, the Boxing Day method and some different shots.' There have been other changes. Since becoming a household name, Konstas has increased his social media presence. 'I don't want to get distracted,' Konstas told in February last year at the under-19 Cricket World Cup. 'I don't really need it – I just try to live in the moment and not be glued to my phone.' Konstas now updates his Instagram regularly with brand endorsements and behind-the-scenes glimpses to his 286,000 followers. It would be difficult to not soak up the adulation and added attention. A shirtless walk down a Barbados beach sampling local fish burgers before the first Test went viral. According to those close to Konstas, he is still in good spirits and eager for a reset before the Sheffield Shield season. His demeanour on tour certainly did not change as the runs dried up. He worked hard in the nets, desperate to turn his fortunes around. It just didn't translate to the middle. Loading 'I think you can see at the end of the tour, it was all mental,' Haddin said. 'He's never been exposed to any pressure like this before. He wouldn't have gone on a run like this in any of his cricket, like in junior cricket, without being able to dominate an attack. 'What we've got to remember is the kid's 19. He's only had half a season of first-class cricket. This would have been a huge learning curve for him … which is a good thing. The learnings he'll take will be enormous.' What about the Ashes? Konstas received a strong endorsement from Ricky Ponting this week, who said he wouldn't change Australia's top three. 'I think he can make the Ashes,' Taylor said. 'He's a young fella. There's no doubt he'll be feeling down after the series, but Australia won 3-0. If he can make some runs in the first couple of Shield games, I think he still can play.'
The Age
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Age
Sam Konstas was a Boxing Day hero, today he can barely make a run. Where to now for cricket's golden boy?
'I think everything's up in the air at the moment,' former Australian Test captain Mark Taylor, who presented Konstas his baggy green on Boxing Day last year, told this masthead. 'That's for Sam and Usman [Khawaja] because they both haven't set the world on fire.' The numbers are jarring for a player nicknamed 'Pinter' — a pint-sized Punter (Ricky Ponting) — by some in NSW cricket circles. Scores of 60, 8, 23, 22, 3, 5, 25, 0, 17 and 0 leave Konstas with a Test average of 16.3 — the lowest ever by an Australian opener from as many innings. 'You can see the effects of Test cricket affected him mentally,' said former NSW and Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin. 'Test cricket's a tough place. Mentally, if things aren't going your way, there's nowhere to hide. His confidence would have taken a big hit.' How did it get to this point? Where to from here? 'We've got to be really, really careful,' said a former Australian cricketer, speaking on the condition of anonymity. 'He's such a young kid. I feel sorry for him.' A rapid rise and even sharper fall A little over 13 weeks before Konstas walked out to bat on Test debut at the Melbourne Cricket Ground against the best fast bowler on the planet, India's Jasprit Bumrah, he was bowled by a 15-year-old fourth grader in a Sydney Premier Cricket match. Konstas, playing for Sutherland's under-21s Poidevin-Gray team, had already blasted what ended up being a match-winning hundred, yet was dismissed by a young Northern Districts bowler by the name of Rubeindranath Gobinath. The anecdote isn't to crticise Konstas, but to highlight how quickly his star rose. Some believe that hundred, albeit against teenagers, kick-started his season. No one could have predicted he'd be playing for Australia by December. Professional sport is full of sliding door moments and Konstas had several late last year. Konstas was selected to bat at No.6 in a NSW trial match early last season. He then made 25 and 8 in a second XI game for NSW. Only when Steve Smith didn't return for NSW - Konstas thought Australia's No.4 was going to be playing the match - did the teenager get a start at the top of the order in the Sheffield Shield. He responded with twin hundreds at Cricket Central in Sydney and became the name on everyone's lips. Even then, had any number of more experienced found form - Cameron Bancroft, Marcus Harris or Matt Renshaw - Konstas probably wouldn't have debuted at the MCG. An audacious century at Manuka Oval in a Prime Minister's XI game against the touring Indians only added to the intrigue and hype. If Nathan McSweeney had made one reasonable score against India, Konstas wouldn't have played in Melbourne. He was brought in as a 'disruptor', in the words of head coach Andrew McDonald. Had one of Bumrah's seaming deliveries caught his edge on Boxing Day, his debut 60 would not have happened. 'It was not as if he made huge scores,' Taylor said. 'It was the fact he made the papers for a different reason. It gave him a spotlight he probably didn't need. 'Normally, you try and make your way in quietly and then assert your authority once you become a bit more of a senior player. That didn't happen to Sam. It's a lot to handle. I think he's now trying to, quite rightfully, backpedal a bit and settle into the side.' Haddin believes the uniqueness of the debut shaped perceptions. 'I think that might have played a role in the hype around what everyone expected in Test cricket,' Haddin said. 'I don't think we'll ever see a debut quite like that. What comes with that was a lot of outside pressure and expectations.' In October, Konstas became the third-youngest player to make centuries in both innings of a Shield game, behind Ponting and Archie Jackson. Then, his first-class average was 50.25. After another 28 first-class innings, it's now 30.34. 'I think he's still probably trying to work out exactly the right way to play,' Taylor said. 'He hasn't been helped [in the West Indies] by not being given a decent pitch to play a normal, orthodox innings.' Much has been made of conditions in the Caribbean. Australia anticipated dry wickets and the chance to play two spinners. Instead, all three surfaces — in Barbados, Grenada and Kingston — offered exaggerated seam movement. 'That cricket was borderline impossible to play at some stages,' Australian head coach Andrew McDonald said this week on SEN. According to data seen by the Australian team, the average seam movement in the third Test was 0.84 degrees, which is extreme. Of the 670 Test matches where data has been kept on ball movement, Australia's latest rout of the West Indies was the 15th most for seam in history. Konstas' strike rate for the series was 33.11 and he was caught between batting styles. 'If you look at the contrasting techniques of the way the openers went about it, some tried to nut it out, work hard and battle through. You end up making 20 off 100 balls and still nick one anyway,' Taylor said. 'I think Sam wasn't sure whether to try that method or try, dare I say it, the Boxing Day method and some different shots.' There have been other changes. Since becoming a household name, Konstas has increased his social media presence. 'I don't want to get distracted,' Konstas told in February last year at the under-19 Cricket World Cup. 'I don't really need it – I just try to live in the moment and not be glued to my phone.' Konstas now updates his Instagram regularly with brand endorsements and behind-the-scenes glimpses to his 286,000 followers. It would be difficult to not soak up the adulation and added attention. A shirtless walk down a Barbados beach sampling local fish burgers before the first Test went viral. According to those close to Konstas, he is still in good spirits and eager for a reset before the Sheffield Shield season. His demeanour on tour certainly did not change as the runs dried up. He worked hard in the nets, desperate to turn his fortunes around. It just didn't translate to the middle. Loading 'I think you can see at the end of the tour, it was all mental,' Haddin said. 'He's never been exposed to any pressure like this before. He wouldn't have gone on a run like this in any of his cricket, like in junior cricket, without being able to dominate an attack. 'What we've got to remember is the kid's 19. He's only had half a season of first-class cricket. This would have been a huge learning curve for him … which is a good thing. The learnings he'll take will be enormous.' What about the Ashes? Konstas received a strong endorsement from Ricky Ponting this week, who said he wouldn't change Australia's top three. 'I think he can make the Ashes,' Taylor said. 'He's a young fella. There's no doubt he'll be feeling down after the series, but Australia won 3-0. If he can make some runs in the first couple of Shield games, I think he still can play.'
Express Tribune
6 days ago
- Sport
- Express Tribune
Ponting backs Aus top order for Ashes
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting on Thursday threw his support behind Australia's current top-order lineup ahead of the highly anticipated Ashes series against England later this year. Speaking on the ICC digital, Ponting offered his thoughts on who should occupy the top three batting positions for the Ashes and the start of Australia's new World Test Championship cycle. "The batters that they're talking about in the last couple of weeks in particular have been Sam Konstas and Usman Khawaja, and then there was some talk about Cameron Green, whether he's a long-term number three or not," Ponting said. He believed the current trio will remain unchanged, including the embattled Konstas and urged selectors to stay the course. "Green's second innings in the West Indies might have put that to bed. As tough as the conditions were, the way he batted might have silenced a few of those critics," he said. He acknowledged that there are a few matches left to make a strong case for selection. "I read a really interesting piece by Robert Craddock about how they tried to protect Sam from the Sri Lanka tour, thinking the Caribbean would be easier. But it turned out the pitches in Sri Lanka were better for batting and the West Indies surfaces were really tough," he explained. Ponting believed the conditions have played a significant role in Konstas's challenges, noting that Australia's initial plan to shield him from the difficult Sri Lanka tour backfired. "That last match where the West Indies were bowled out for 27 – that's not just world-class bowling, that's also about the surface and conditions." He recalled how he only managed one century in his first two years in the format after debuting at the age of 20. "The unfortunate thing about Test cricket is that, when you're a young player, you often have to work things out yourself – in the middle," Ponting said. "Practice, coaching, advice they all help, but finding a method that works for you happens out there in real match situations."
News18
6 days ago
- Sport
- News18
Australia Admit Top-Order Unsettled As Coach Hopes Sheffield Shield Will Provide Clarity
Last Updated: Australia's coach Andrew McDonald admitted uncertainty in their top-order despite a 3-0 win over West Indies. The Sheffield Shield will help decide the Ashes lineup. Australia's head coach Andrew McDonald acknowledged that their top-order combinations in Tests remain uncertain despite a 3-0 series win over the West Indies. He noted that the initial rounds of the Sheffield Shield will provide clarity on who will be in contention for the crucial Ashes series later this year. Although Australia triumphed in the Caribbean series, there is still significant debate over whether the opening pair of Sam Konstas and Usman Khawaja will be retained for the first Ashes Test in November. Khawaja scored 117 runs with an average of 19.50, whereas Konstas managed only 50 runs at an average of 8.33. 'I think it leaves (Konstas) where everyone else is in terms of Shield cricket at the start of the season. We're not going to shy away from the fact that will be big for certain individuals to go about their work, put some scores on the board, and then for us to look at what we need against England. 'It feels as though we're still a little bit unsettled in terms of what our combinations look like at the top of the order with the way that the performances have gone here (against West Indies). There's a lot of cricket still to come to be able to gather that information," McDonald said on SEN Radio. Marnus Labuschagne, who was dropped for the West Indies series, along with Cameron Bancroft, Marcus Harris, and Matthew Renshaw, will now be under consideration for Australia's Ashes top-order combination. Nathan McSweeney and Jake Weatherald, both of whom scored fifties in Australia A's first red-ball match against Sri Lanka A in Darwin, may also be contenders. 'Shield cricket, it feels like it's going to be the same as the start of last year where the microscope will be there for certain individuals and what happens in those games will have a great connection to the first Test in Perth. 'If the performances are at a certain level, I still think that there's always going to be discussion and debate as to what our top order looks like in Australia against England; it's a totally different opposition, they play differently, and the surfaces are different," added McDonald. He further expressed that the West Indies tour will be a substantial learning experience for young Konstas. 'He'll take away some information that will accelerate his growth forward. The exposure across the series is going to create some great opportunities for him to go away and reflect and start to gather what it looks like for him. 'He's a highly talented player. His skill set over time, I think we will see the real Sam Konstas and at the moment he's juggling with his aggressive nature, he's juggling his technique and the way he really wants to go about playing it." 'But when you've got up and down and seaming wickets, it can force you into those corners a lot quicker than some surfaces that are batter friendly, which we were (initially) expecting to get here. 'We believe he's got more layers than just being that ultra-aggressive, almost what you call a disruptor at the top of the order, and hence why those two Tests (against India last summer) then extended out to the WTC (final) and then some opportunities in the West Indies. 'He's had a small setback here in difficult conditions, and so did the rest of the top order as well. We see him as a player that we'll be using going forward; it will just be a matter of when," concluded McDonald. With IANS Inputs Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
