Ashes remains a doubt for Konstas after hellacious outing in the Caribbean casts doubts over his participation.
Konstas will play for Australia again, but will he play the Ashes this year?
It was supposed to be the start of something, or at least the hope. Australia’s top order in the new age. However, a well-known question was being raised as Sam Konstas walked slowly away from Sabina Park under the floodlights after falling for a duck: who will open the batting for Australia moving forward?
He has scored 50 runs at an average of 8.33 in six innings against the West Indies. That ranks David Warner’s 2019 Ashes in second place and is the lowest series average for an Australian opener in the twenty-first century.
Given that five of Konstas’ 20 first-class games have been Test matches, they are tough stats to sit with for a 19-year-old who has essentially been expected to improve his game on the international front.
West Indies’ excellent pace attack with a brand-new pink Dukes ball under lights provided Konstas with the most difficult conditions he could have hoped for in his final innings of the series. He shouldered arms to the fourth, defended the second and third, and left his opening ball to Shamar Joseph. The thick edge flew to Roston Chase at gully after Konstas pushed at the fifth ball of the over, which was just a length outside off, off the back foot.
“It’s pretty hard, but you wouldn’t know how he’s been going, if he’s gone well or not. He seems pretty level,” Scott Boland said. “He’s always training hard. I see him hit hundreds of balls. I’m sure he’s got a big future. It’s not going to be the last he plays for Australia.”
Throughout the series, Konstas and his opening partner Usman Khawaja have been bowled quite successfully by the West Indies. Although Khawaja has taken more than 300 deliveries in the three games, he fell from around the wicket for the sixth time in six innings, drawing Shamar Joseph into his stumps.
They have, however, exposed Konstas’s bat on both sides, which begs the question of if he has any mechanical problems that need to be addressed at a lower level.
He was dismissed twice by induckers in Barbados, who were aiming for a vulnerability that had been apparent in his early career. In Jamaica, the dismissal occurred in a similar fashion during the first innings. He fell behind in Grenada and then continued to try to push through the off side in the second innings. Konstas put himself on 25 on the first day of the second Test, an innings that coach Andrew McDonald called a “small step forward.” He also put in a lot of effort to reach 17 in Jamaica despite being granted a life in the slips. The pickings are slim.
Given that Australia is in dire need of a reliable opening pair and may soon require another one, he has been the centre of attention. McDonald stated that he wanted some consistency before playing England in the Ashes before this series. It seems like a lot needs to go right now for Konstas to be strolling about Perth.
Following his explosive debut against India, the Australian selectors had been waiting to bring Konstas back. When the traditional plan to begin with Travis Head was maintained and Marnus Labuschagne was given a final chance to secure his spot in the World Test Championship final, he did not play on the Sri Lanka trip.
Around the time Konstas was fired in Jamaica, the Australian domestic season’s state schedule was made public. It detailed Konstas’ schedule of games prior to the Ashes, including Sheffield Shield games at the WACA, Junction Oval, the Gabba, and SCG. Additionally, he has a high possibility of playing for Australia A in the two four-day matches during the late September visit of India. It’s not impossible to reach three or four hundreds, especially at home Test grounds and maybe the Ashes.
Even if the past few weeks have been difficult, they might be seen as growing pains in years to come. A lengthy Test career is still possible for Konstas. For the time being, however, the selectors must start over.