Sam Konstas took off his helmet and saluted the Cricket Central crowd before the ball even landed in the snake-infested bushes in Silverwater.
The teenage opener achieved a slog sweep to complete his second Sheffield Shield century in less than three days at 95, putting his name in the Test selection frame.
Celebrating his 19th birthday last week, he became the youngest New South Wales cricketer to score 200 runs in a Sheffield Shield match since Archie Jackson in 1927/28.
Konstas, playing his fifth first-class match, faced 465 deliveries in two innings against South Australia and spent more than 10 hours in crunch time as national selection panel chairman George Bailey and Test captain Pat Cummins looked on. None of his teammates, including former Australian internationals Moises Henriques and Josh Philippe, managed more than 56.
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The first innings ton will be remembered for its grace and fluency, but Konstas had to work on his runs in the second innings. South Australia filled the off side and bowled wide of the stumps, forcing the right-hander to bide his time and switch gears in a war of attrition.
It wasn’t even a perfect knock as rival gloveman Alex Carey dropped Dolly before he had scored yet. But despite this, hundreds of contrasting cricketers demonstrated the versatility and endurance of aspiring cricketers.
Teen Konstas scores 2 tons | 00:56
Konstas has waterproof technology that makes headlines with its stable base and impeccable cover drive. He makes batting look easy, stays composed and disciplined in the middle, while understanding when to attack, defend and come off. These are essential traits for a budding opener.
While the first ton proved him to be a superstar in the making, the second ton made him a real contender for the Australian Test opener race and earned him a spot in the Australia A series against India A.
But Constas was not completely satisfied. After the Sheffield Shield match against South Australia, he sent a message to Blues assistant coach Anthony Clarke to discuss how he could improve ahead of their next match against Victoria.
“He’s 19 years old, he’s just earned two Shield 200s and he still has some ideas on how he can improve,” Clark, who is also a mentor for the Australian under-19 team, told Fox Cricket.
“That’s probably a testament to his desire to continue to get better.”
Konstas’ breakthrough performance came just days before all-rounder Cameron Green was ruled out for the summer with a back injury, and Bailey confirmed the Blues teenager is among the candidates to replace him.
In ten days, Konstas soared from a relative unknown within Australian cricket to a Test smoker.
When asked if he was scared when climbing the ranks, Konstas responded: “Yes, I like challenges. I think that’s the best. “I want to try to put myself forward without feeling uncomfortable.”
Konstas is coached by former Bangladesh first-class player Tahmid Islam, and former Australian star Shane Watson serves as a mindfulness mentor.
The 19-year-old meditates before games, focusing on her breathing and steadying her heartbeat to calm herself between deliveries. Test cricket is as much a mental game as it is a physical one, and Konstas is already gearing up for the challenge of the sport’s longest format.
“He is particularly ahead of his game,” NSW batting coach Nick Larkin told Fox Cricket.
“He’s focused on getting to triple figures. The will to hit and stay on the ball for a long time can be a rare quality, especially in a young player, but he’s got it.”
After a chance meeting four years ago, Watson helped Konstas build mental toughness by coaching him on how to succeed in high-pressure situations. The former Australian all-rounder explores these mental abilities as follows: winner’s mindsetWe are working with SafetyCulture to create online courses based on the book.
“He’s desperate to be the best he can be,” Watson said of Konstas in an interview with Fox Cricket this week.
“As soon as I first spoke to him, that’s what immediately occurred to me. He is willing to do whatever it takes to do the best he can and block out any distractions that might get in his way. Not everyone is like that.
“I was surprised so often because at 19 I was desperately trying to show and prove that I had what it takes to be an international cricketer, whereas Sam handled it brilliantly.”
Those who have followed Konstas’ journey over the years knew that it was not a matter of if, but when he would start compiling hundreds at a first-class level.
Last summer, former Australia spinner Kerry O’Keeffe mentioned him as an option to replace David Warner in the Test team following the veteran opener’s retirement, saying: “This is a man who looks destined.” declared. He has since impressed the likes of Cummins and Steve Smith, while national team coach Andrew McDonald spoke highly of him over the weekend.
“This guy is an absolute weapon,” former Australia bowler Brett Lee told Fox Cricket. sequel Podcast from earlier this month.
“He has natural talent.”
Konstas scored his first century for St George at the age of 10, and a few years later he scored 400 runs in eight days.
Becoming the highest run-scorer in Green Shield history, he notched centuries in all five grades of NSW Premier Cricket and in both underage competitions.
During his first summer at Sutherland, Konstas broke the club record for most goals in a season. Last November he scored hundreds of goals in the Poidevin Gray Under-21s, NSW Under-17s and Sutherland Grade 1 matches, all in seven days.
The prolific batsman has been compared to the likes of Michael Clarke, Phil Hughes and Ricky Ponting for his dominance with the willow. In the NSW warehouse he was nicknamed ‘Pinter’, a pint-sized punter.
“All the talk at the academy was that he was one of the better players,” Clark recalled.
“When we first saw him in net we knew he was good. But whenever we played national assignments or games, he just scored big runs. It was habitual for him.”
Konstas continued to quickly rise through the ranks. He was the youngest member of the Australian under-19 team that toured England last year, scoring an unbeaten hundred in a youth ODI at Beckenham.
After making his first-class debut later that year, Konstas scored his hundred in an unaffected contest against the West Indies in Kimberley, helping Australia win the Under-19 Cricket World Cup in South Africa in January.
So it came as no surprise when the teenager collected 200 in the Sheffield Shield earlier this month.
“He truly loves the game and works really hard,” Clark continued.
“He’s had a desire to bat for a long time.
“Because the game presents him with something different, he’s always trying to find a way to solve it and get a solution out of it.”
Konstas, meanwhile, is not intimidated by the prospect of failure that every opener experiences throughout his career while facing the new ball. He knows that low points are inevitable in his job.
“We’ve seen him go through some lulls over the last four or five years, and I actually think it’s good to go through a few of those when you’re young. “Clark said.
“When he’s had it in the past, it’s always come back. Not that it’s taken an incredibly long time, but obviously there’s more scrutiny as you level up.”
In last week’s Sheffield Shield match against Victoria at the MCG, Konstas bowled his wicket for 43 in the second innings after running down the pitch against Test spinner Todd Murphy to top score towards point. His disappointment was evident, but he would not be burdened by the missed opportunity.
“You make mistakes too. “Everyone makes mistakes.” Watson said.
“He is human like all of us, but he perfectly understands what he needs to do to do his best.
I certainly wasn’t.”
Does Konstas get off to a cheap start after a tough LBW? | 00:35
Konstas’ next challenge will be to prove he can adapt when faced with foreign conditions, whether it’s surviving the bouncy WACA surface or taming a spinning deck in late March.
“To be a world-class batsman, you have to be able to adapt your game to the situation in front of you,” Larkin explained.
“It was a pretty good batting ground in Sydney, so there weren’t any of the superficial difficulties that you would potentially face when you go to other parts of Australia.
“He is a hard worker. He trains hard. He focuses on his game and the task ahead. I am confident that he will overcome all the challenges that come his way.”
Larkin also expects Sheffield Shield bowlers to target him over the coming months, looking for potential weaknesses they can exploit. South Australia’s quick work has left Cricket Central’s bouncers rattled, but rival states will have more complicated plans ahead of the Big Bash League suspension.
Victoria seamer Scott Boland has exposed his apparent vulnerability to inswing deliveries, a chink in his armor already identified at the Under-19 World Cup in South Africa.
“It’s not uncommon to see a young talent burst onto the scene and then inevitably the opposing team does their homework and finds out more about you and the game becomes a little more difficult,” Larkin said.
“Now there is a mountain of information for the opposing team to look at and they will come to him with a new, fresh plan.
“Your success doesn’t go up until you’re on the right side forever. “It’s more like a roller coaster.”
Watson shares his picks for the next opener | 04:39
The million dollar question remains. Is Konstas ready for Test cricket?
When asked, Watson did not hesitate in answering: “Yes, of course.
“He is very technically prepared in every way.
“For me, this is the perfect opportunity to bring a young player into an aging batting order.
“As long as Sam continues to score, now is the perfect opportunity to get him into the Australian team.”
Konstas appears to be fighting alongside Western Australia’s Cameron Bancroft and Victoria’s Marcus Harris for the vacant spot in the Test side left by Green.
Bancroft and Harris both have prior Test experience and plenty of credit in the bank, while Western Australian wicketkeeper Josh Inglis and South Australian captain Nathan McSweeney are also in talks.
Although national selectors may be reluctant to field Konstas in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy this summer, there may be another opportunity soon. Usman Khawaja, who turns 38 this year, is entering the twilight of his career with Australia looking for another opener when the Queenslander decides to hang up his boots.
“You never know until you get there,” Clark said of Konstas’ testing credentials.
“But I think Sam will have faith that he can do it. That’s probably the most important thing.
“In the meantime, he continues to focus on his game, let the bat do the talking and see how things end up.”
Larkin agreed. “Whenever the opportunity comes to him, he won’t be intimidated by it. He will be crazy and excited about it.
“That’s probably his best trait as a young player. He arrived last year as a first-class cricketer and was not intimidated by the level or the opposition or anything about it. He was very happy to be there, but that’s not always the case.”
Australia A will face India A at the Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay from Thursday, with the first match scheduled for 11am AEDT.
