‘Hopefully, I can be back for the first game’: Young star Sam Konstas on flying back to Australia amid Sri Lanka Tour

After being dropped from the Australian XI from the first Test against Sri Lanka, 19-year-old Australian sensation Sam Konstas has flown back to Sydney prior to the second Test against the hosts starting this week. Konstas is scheduled to play for New South Wales against Queensland in Brisbane in a Sheffield Shield match later this week and the news of Konstas flying back to Australia was broken by The Age on Tuesday.

“That’s the plan. Hopefully, I can be back for the first game (NSW vs Queensland on Saturday),” Konstas told The Age while speaking at the team hotel in Galle when asked about his plans after reaching Sydney

The 19-year-old opener had made his debut against India during the fourth Test at Melbourne in the Border-Gavaskar trophy. The NSW youngster had created history with a half-century in his maiden Test innings and the knock also saw him hitting Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah for 18 runs in an over. The 19-year-old had scores of 8, 23 and 23 in the next three innings before being picked up in the Australian squad for the Sri Lanka tour. The Australian selectors showed faith in Travis head partnering Usman Khwaja in the opening Test at Galle last week with Josh Inglis in the middle-order with Head scoring a half-century and Inglis hitting a century in Australia’s win by an innings and 242 runs. Konstas, who has so far played in 13 First Class matches amassing 813 runs, shared that he totally understands the team management’s decision. “It’s been a huge honour being in the squad and learning from the likes of Travis Head, Steve Smith, Usman Khawaja, the way they go about it. And obviously having experience in the Asian continent in Dubai. It’s been about understanding what works in these conditions, and hopefully I can emulate that after I get back to Sydney. I totally understood the decision (not to play in the first Test), Travis Head’s a legend of the game and he’s been dominating in these conditions up top. So for me it was trying to get exposure to Dubai, Sri Lanka, try to learn and I feel like I learned quite a bit about things if I do play in the subcontinent. That’s basically it.” Konstas told The Age.

Story continues below this ad

Former Australian wicket-keeper Brad Haddin earlier had suggested that the 19-year-old opener should be sent home if he is not to be given a chance in the second Test. “We’ve got to remember he (Konstas) is 19, so if they’re not using him for the second Test I would send him home to play state cricket. He hasn’t played a lot [of first-class cricket] and the more he plays the better. He would’ve had a good couple of weeks over there [in Sri Lanka] learning. If he’s not going to be needed, send him back home to bat,” Haddin had told Australian media.

Former Australian cricketer Ed Cowan too criticised the move to send Konstas back home.”You can’t learn how to play spin, by not playing spin,” Cowan told ABC Sport.

Travis Head meanwhile shared that Konstas is in plans for the World Test Championship final. “Most likely I’ll go back into the middle order and Sam would open, but I’m glad I’m not a selector. Josh (Inglis) has had an amazing start, guys are playing well, Greeny’s (Cameron Green) going to be fit. So it’s going to be hard to fit in and I think that’s what we want,” Head told the media in Galle.

Click here to read article