Discarded Test opener Sam Konstas insists he is a good space and enjoying watching Australia’s Ashes dominance from the outside looking in as he charts a course back to the Australian Test team. It comes after former England captain Michael Vaughan urged his country’s cricket bosses to learn from Konstas’ rushed entry onto the international arena following some questionable selections during the Bazball era.
Almost a year on from his stunning Boxing Day debut against India, the 20-year-old opener finds himself not only out of the Australian team but down the pecking order on the list of candidates next in line for a call-up. And Vaughan, whose son Archie is playing for Mosman in the NSW Premier Cricket competition, believes the tough road to the top most Australian players endure produces match-hardened individuals.
Sam Konstas (L) says he’s in good spirits despite his Test axing and the form of replacement Jake Weatherald (R) at the top of the order for Australia. Pic: Getty
“The Australian system has always been about earning the right,” he wrote. “To get in the state team, you need to perform in grade cricket on a Saturday.
“The whole system is connected in a way ours just is not, top to bottom. Sam Konstas was an outlier last year, almost an England-style selection, but they seem to have learnt from it.”
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Konstas, to his credit, has taken his axing well and simply put his head down and worked harder, playing in NSW’s opening six Sheffield Shield games and dropping back to grade cricket at every opportunity. He said: “I think as an athlete you experience a lot more lows than highs, which makes it even more special when you do go well.
“I’ve got great support in Shane Watson, my mentor, who I’ve been working really hard with the last month on my technical and mental aspect. And Cricket NSW as well, with (coach) Greg Shipperd and them believing in me and formulating a plan for my game.”
Sam Konstas loves what he’s seeing in the Ashes series
Konstas insists he is not experiencing any FOMO over the Ashes series unfolding without him and was instead revelling in Australia’s dominance. “We’re killing it at 2-nil. I love watching it and hopefully we can go 5-nil up,” he said. “I’m not too sure if they (England) can regroup, hopefully not.
Sam Konstas is remaining positive after his axing from the Test side and loves what he’s seeing from Australia in the Ashes series against England. Pic: Getty
“Credit to Steve Smith and all the team… I am loving the way they’re playing and hopefully they go well in the next game. (Australia’s) depth is amazing and hopefully we can keep building on that and keep smashing the Poms.”
Australian cricket fans are set to see a lot more of Konstas over the next few weeks as season 15 of the BBL gets underway. The quick-scoring opener will not only be in action for Sydney Thunder but also seen and heard on Channel 7 after signing on as one of the station’s cricket ambassadors.