{"id":579703,"date":"2026-04-02T01:26:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T01:26:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/579703\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T01:26:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T01:26:16","slug":"batsmen-wont-let-cricket-australia-snub-derail-his-plans-to-be-worlds-best","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/579703\/","title":{"rendered":"Batsmen won\u2019t let Cricket Australia snub derail his plans to be world\u2019s best"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Tom<\/p>\n

April 2, 2026 \u2014 11:30am<\/p>\n

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AAA<\/p>\n

Sam Konstas is about to head for a swim at Cronulla Beach and is excited about a holiday in Byron Bay later this week.<\/p>\n

You wouldn\u2019t know that he\u2019s just lost his Cricket Australia contract, only 15 months after his spectacular Test debut on Boxing Day at the MCG when he ramped Indian quick Jasprit Bumrah for six in one of the most memorable first outings by an Australian cricketer.<\/p>\n

\"SamSam Konstas has lost his Cricket Australia contract just 15 months making a stunning Test debut at the MCG.Getty Images for Cricket Australia<\/p>\n

Konstas understands he is on a journey and is prepared to take the good with the bad. The 20-year-old is showing maturity beyond his years, and knows that speaking to the media \u2013 whether it is after making a hundred or getting dropped \u2013 is part of the job.<\/p>\n

It hasn\u2019t been Konstas\u2019 best week, but he remains upbeat.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got the call on Tuesday from [Australia selector] Tony Dodemaide,\u201d Konstas said. \u201cHe said I wasn\u2019t getting a contract and just to keep training hard. They see me in their future plans with some Aussie A trips coming up. That was about it, to be honest.<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand where they\u2019re coming from. Obviously, I would have liked to have a better season, but I felt like I made lots of progression in the way I wanted to go about my batting. Hopefully, next year I can capitalise on my starts a bit more.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SamSam Konstas walks out to bat for NSW in the Sheffield Shield. Getty Images<\/p>\n

Konstas was overlooked as Jake Weatherald made his Test debut in the recent Ashes series. Having opened for Australia in the Caribbean in three Tests in June and July, Konstas\u2019 domestic season was unique.<\/p>\n

He finished the Sheffield Shield campaign as NSW\u2019s leading run scorer with 660 runs from 20 innings at an average of 33, ranking fifth in the competition at the end of the regular season.<\/p>\n

Konstas says his lone century \u2013 116 against Queensland in December \u2013 and two fifties felt like a modest return given the number of starts he made as an opener. After the Big Bash break, those starts became Lotto-like scores of 44, 28, 27, 35, 37, 28, 38 and 31.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like I didn\u2019t even have a good season, which is scary,\u201d Konstas said. \u201cFor me, it\u2019s just the start. I\u2019m 20 years old, and hopefully I can just keep getting better.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just trying to be the best version of myself and [one day] be the best player in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Konstas has a Test batting average of 16.3 from 10 innings and a first-class average of 32.93 from 32 matches. He is eight years younger than any of the Sheffield Shield\u2019s other top 10 run scorers this season.<\/p>\n

\u201c[The past two years] has been insane. At my age, I\u2019ve had a lot of experiences with highs and probably more lows,\u201d he said. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t change anything. I\u2019m understanding what it takes to become a professional athlete. Leaving school means cricket is now the priority.<\/p>\n

\"SamSam Konstas with Test teammates in England in 2025.Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to play in the Ashes. They smashed the Poms, which was good to watch on TV. I\u2019m very lucky to have good connection with all the [Australia] players and coaching staff, and having honest conversations. They welcomed me with open arms.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Konstas missed Ashes selection in November, Australia\u2019s chairman of selectors, George Bailey, said he felt for the youngster \u201cbecause I feel like at the moment, if he farts, it\u2019s a headline\u201d.<\/p>\n

The noise has since subsided, and the Konstas-mania has cooled. Perhaps it is a cautionary tale of what can happen when a player is fast-tracked into international cricket.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Sam<\/a><\/p>\n

Konstas will now begin working with strength and conditioning guru Jock Campbell, who spent years with the Australian team, before a full pre-season with NSW.<\/p>\n

He is also eager to link with incoming Blues coach Brad Haddin, who he first met during Australia\u2019s tour of the West Indies last year.<\/p>\n

For all that has unfolded during the past two seasons, Konstas says he has taken on board two key lessons.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s going to be a lot of advice throughout my whole career from a lot of people \u2013 it\u2019s understanding that you have to trust your inner circle,\u201d Konstas said.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone means well, but sometimes that may not be the best answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe second is understanding why you play the game of cricket: I absolutely love it and never want to lose that feeling. I play my best when I am enjoying it.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, I want to be at the top, and that\u2019s the goal, but I\u2019m just lucky that I get to play a sport I love and get paid for it. I\u2019m really grateful for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"TomTom Decent<\/a> is the chief sports writer for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X<\/a> or email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"April 2, 2026 \u2014 11:30am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":579627,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[564],"tags":[64,63,740,85],"class_list":["post-579703","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cricket","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-cricket","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/579703","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=579703"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/579703\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/579627"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=579703"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=579703"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=579703"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}