George Bailey, the chair of Australia’s selectors, has sympathized with Sam Konstas following his exclusion from the Test team, while former captain Steve Waugh has drawn comparisons to his own history as a young player attempting to find his way.
An unimpressive start to the Sheffield Shield season, with just one half-century in six innings, sealed Sam Konstas’ doom following a difficult tour of the West Indies, where he managed just 50 runs in six innings. But before that, he scored a century for Australia A in India. After making his debut against India at the MCG last summer, where he thrillingly defeated Jasprit Bumrah, Sam Konstas, who recently turned 20, was left out in Sri Lanka before being called up in the Caribbean under difficult batting conditions.
According to Bailey, “I feel for Sammy [Konstas] because at the moment, if he farts, it’s a headline,” when the Australian team for the first Ashes Test was announced. “There’s a handful of young guys his age playing Shield cricket around the country, and they are all learning and are all going through the journey of becoming the best cricketer they can be, and Sammy is no different – he just happens to doing it under immense scrutiny.”
“We think he’s great… He has participated in the Boxing Day Test, toured the subcontinent, and played on Australian A tours. Therefore, we are pleased with the skill set and [are] optimistic that it will continue to develop in the future. The message will be straightforward: score runs and bat for New South Wales for as long as he can. It won’t be linear because nobody’s career path is linear.
“He’s got a great outlook on life,” Bailey continued at a later press appearance. He’s still really positive. On some levels, the scrutiny he is subjected to is nearly unprecedented.
Steve Waugh, who made his Test debut at the age of 20 against India on Boxing Day at the MCG, spoke beside the Waterford Crystal Ashes trophy, which is beginning a tour of Australia. It wasn’t until his 27th outing, against England at the beginning of the 1989 Ashes, that he achieved a century. After being discarded in favor of his brother Mark eighteen months later, he went on to become one of Australia’s greatest batters, amassing thirty-two Test hundreds.
Steve Waugh remarked, “I feel a little bit sorry for Sam Konstas,” just before the squad was officially announced.
The fact that he has been in and out of the team occasionally actually makes me think of myself when I first began playing for Australia. Up and down, form isn’t quite there, and I’m not entirely sure I’ll be in the side. Therefore, it’s likely that he lacks some confidence.
“I would advise Sam Konstas not to pay attention to everyone. Just have faith in one or two people. Return to the fundamentals. In the end, learning how to play Test cricket while playing the game is incredibly difficult, and I experienced this for a few years. In reality, I wasn’t that final product. I would return to Shield cricket, attempt to construct a lengthy innings, bat for as long as you can, and simply become very familiar with your game. You’re confident in your abilities when you step out to play for Australia.
“I believe he’s currently speculating about how he’s supposed to play. He’s most likely not playing with a clear head because of the high expectations.
Although Bailey stated that he will also be considered for the Prime Minister’s XI and Australia A fixtures during the first half of the Ashes, Sam Konstas may have three more Sheffield Shield games to play before the BBL begins in mid-December.
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