A run machine being compared to Ricky Ponting

Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size The runs. The sheer number of runs. More than 5000 of them in Sydney grade and Sheffield Shield cricket, starting from the age of 14. Sam Konstas, now 19, has racked up centuries with monotonous regularity over the past five summers, a dream start to a career in which the most important currency a batter deals in is runs. Konstas’ work with willow in hand has rendered discussions of him being the “next big thing” almost moot. There is no longer any need to talk about him. All the decision-makers in NSW and Australian cricket have to do is watch. From public to private: Sam Konstas was keen to face experienced cricketers in Premier Cricket. Credit: Getty Images While Konstas’s name has been uttered in hushed tones for years, it is the recent comparisons to Ricky Ponting, a modern-day great of the game, that are more telling. The comparisons are so strong, he has earned a new nickname – whereas Ponting was known as “Punter”, due to his love of the punt, the new moniker being loosely bandied around NSW cricket circles for Konstas is “Pinter” … a pint-sized Punter. The NSW youngster has already emulated one of Punter’s feats, becoming the youngest player since the former Australian captain to score two Sheffield Shield centuries in the same match, which Ponting achieved in 1993. And still, the runs have kept coming. Just last week, Konstas plundered 107 runs off 97 balls for the Prime Minister’s XI against a near full-strength Indian bowling attack.

Advertisement

With Australia’s Test team under pressure following a poor top-order batting display in Perth, suddenly there is a potential bolter for a baggy green being talked about this summer – the kid with the Greek surname; the one who went to Sydney’s prestigious Cranbrook school; the one being mentored by former Test all-rounder Shane Watson after a chance meeting at the nets. Konstas is the name on everyone’s lips because he has demonstrated an insatiable appetite for runs at all levels, coupled with a calm attitude and tenacious work ethic. Most of the time, young prospects fizzle out and never play professional cricket. A small percentage go on to earn a living from the game. But if Konstas does walk out to bat in a Test this summer, those close to him are adamant he will be ready. “I really want the chance,” Konstas said on Wednesday about the prospect of a Test debut. “I love being challenged and hopefully that can happen soon.” A new talent emerges

Advertisement

Konstas was born at St George Hospital 20 days after England’s famous series win over Australia in the 2005 Ashes. He grew up in Sydney’s southern suburbs and still lives in Hurstville on the street adjacent to the oval where St George’s first-grade side plays and where the likes of Sir Donald Bradman, Bill O’Reilly and Arthur Morris played their club cricket. “I want to play at Hurstville Oval one day and for St George,” a nine-year-old Konstas, already making an impression with bat and ball, told the St George & Sutherland Shire Leader in 2015. Sam Konstas poses for a photo as a nine-year-old at Hurstville Oval. Credit: Chris Lane The story goes on to say: “Sam’s best scores are 116, 85 not out and 82 not out. He also collected five wickets.” Sam’s twin, Johnny, and older brother Billy all played for the Kingsgrove Cricket Club, but it was at the home they shared with their parents – Pamela and Jim, who both have Greek heritage, hailing from Patras and Kalamata, respectively – that they developed their passion for the game during fierce backyard battles. Sam Konstas at the SCG this week. Credit: Kate Geraghty The rumours soon started of a young could-be star dominating the junior ranks. Occasionally, such talk will make its way to the state and national set-ups, but that does not normally happen until the player is in their late teens, entrenched in a state program, or performing well in first grade.

Advertisement

NSW captain Moises Henriques, who debuted for the Blues when Konstas was not even four months old, experienced it first-hand and is well placed to comment on how it feels to be talked about as an emerging talent. The Herald’s Alex Brown wrote in 2005 of Henriques: “Perhaps only Michael Clarke can claim to have encountered similar levels of hype at such a young age in recent years.” Henriques first met Konstas when the youngster was nine, and he heard about his batting prowess when he was 14. “We actually met a long time ago,” Henriques, now Konstas’ NSW skipper, said. “He showed me a photo of us at Hurstville Oval, and then I recognised him. He was very familiar because he watched our first-grade team a lot. I think I gave him some gloves. “Hearing about a 14-year-old player, though, is not very common.” The whispers got louder. It was because Konstas had such a sound technique. It was because the other dads could see their own sons weren’t in the same class as him. But, mostly, it was because of the runs.

Advertisement

Across stints with St. George, Eastern Suburbs and more recently Sutherland, Konstas has shown he is a run machine and a century-maker. From 126 matches, across grades one to five, plus under-16 (Green Shield) and under-21 matches (Poidevin Gray Shield), Konstas has amassed 4609 runs at the impressive average of 44.7. The story of Konstas making four centuries in an eight-day period in January 2021 is etched in grade-cricket folklore, even if records show it was actually over 11 days. Sam Konstas (far right) poses for a photo with Cranbrook schoolmates for a story in the AFR in 2023. Credit: Louise Kennerley He reached triple figures in a first-grade match at the age of 17 years and 48 days. His century on Sunday in Canberra was his 23rd since 2019. His defection from St George to Sutherland in 2022 was big news, not least because of the rivalry between the clubs. But it was also because of the person who had convinced him to make the jump – former Test all-rounder Watson. School cricket was becoming too easy for Konstas and he needed a fresh challenge.

Advertisement

Click here to read article