Ricky Ponting, former Australian captain, has backed Australia’s current top three to play in the first Ashes Test later this year. He also offered advise to rookie hitter Sam Konstas, who has been the subject of much controversy in Australian cricket circles.
Despite a recent 3-0 series victory over the West Indies, Australia’s hitters struggled to make an impact on grounds that favoured bowlers. Ponting praised Konstas, who impressed with a debut half-century against Jasprit Bumrah and India’s fearsome bowling lineup in last year’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy. However, after that promising start, the teenager has battled to stay consistent with the bat.
“The (batters) that they’re talking about the last couple of weeks in particular, have been Sam Konstas and (Usman) Khawaja, and then there was some talk about Cameron Green, if he was a long term No.3 three or not,” Ponting told Sanjana Ganesan of The ICC Review.
“(Green’s) second innings in the West Indies (last Test) may have just put some of that to rest. As difficult as the conditions were to bat in, he may have hushed some of his critics. With where they’re at, I believe the Ashes lineup will remain the same. I believe that’s what they’ll start with, and you keep your fingers crossed that those folks can get the job done right away,” he said.
Ponting noted that the top-order positions are far from secured. However, with only an Australia A series against Sri Lanka and four Sheffield Shield rounds left before the vital Ashes series, there are few opportunities for others to come into the squad.
“Nathan McSweeney, who began the Australian summer against India last year, scored several runs in one of the Sri Lanka A games. Matt Renshaw has also scored several runs in white ball games. I don’t believe anyone other than the names we’ve heard in recent years will be mentioned again. “McSweeney is the obvious choice to return to sooner rather than later,” said Ponting.
“If they (Australia) get two or three Test matches into the Ashes and things aren’t going well, the longer you go in a series, obviously the harder it is to change, and it’s not like they’re jumping up and down, batsmen left, right and centre making runs all over the place either,” he further stated.
Ponting also mentioned Jason Sangha as a potential addition to the Australian squad. However, he stressed that with few games ahead, chances for young players to break through are slim.
“The start of the Sheffield Shield season will be exciting for some of the players I’ve named there, and I’ll throw in another name, Jason Sangha, who I believe is a tremendously skilled Australian batsman. I believe his name will be mentioned at some point, but there aren’t many games or possibilities to get yourself and your name in front of the selectors right now,” Ponting said.
Konstas played on tougher batting pitches: Ricky Ponting
Konstas averages just 16.30 from his first 10 Test innings, but Ponting believes the young batter has faced a tougher initiation into international cricket than most.
“I read some really interesting quotes or a story written by (Australian journalist) Robert Craddock about Sam Konstas, how the Australians sort of tried to protect him from what they thought was going to be a really difficult tour of Sri Lanka. They left him out there hoping to bring him in in the Caribbean where things might have been a little bit easier. Well, it’s been the opposite. It’s been the exact opposite of that,” said Ponting.
“As it turned out, the attack and the wickets in Sri Lanka were good batting wickets and a really poor attack. And the wickets that we’ve got in the Caribbean have been hard for everybody to bat on. I look at that last result where the West Indies have been bowled out for 27. That’s just not down to high quality bowling. That’s down to the surface and the ball and all sorts of things,” he added.
Konstas has early flaws in batting technique: Ricky Ponting
In Konstas’ efforts to develop his game, Ponting has observed technical adjustments that, while potentially limiting short-term success, could offer significant long-term benefits.
“Sam’s always going to have, like every batter that is finding their way at international level, people sit back and try and pick holes in your technique when you’re trying to find your own way at international level,” said Ponting.
“Now he’s always been someone that’s been talked about potentially having an issue with (the ball) coming back in, particularly on the front foot, and we saw in the Caribbean a couple of instances there of lbws and chop-ons but we also saw the other side of it where when he tries to correct that and probably stay a little bit more leg-side of the ball. That’s when the outside edge of the bat came into play and he nicked a couple as well like he did in the second innings of that first Test match,” he added.
Konstas need to be patient: Ricky Ponting
Ponting emphasised that he will not be too hard on Konstas and urged the Australian team to support the youngster through his struggles. He insisted that the team should stick with him and help him work through the issues in his batting. Ponting reflected on his own early challenges, having debuted in Test cricket at the age of 20 and managing just one century in his first two years wearing the Baggy Green.
“I’m not going to make any really harsh judgment 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,” Ponting said.
“If we get him back onto some flatter wickets at the start of the Australian summer and some Sheffield Shield matches under his belt, maybe he’s got a great chance there to get some confidence back and get some runs under his belt. I’ll back him in,” he concluded.WI vs AUS 2025: ‘They have to stick with him’ – Ponting backs Konstas amid early struggles
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