Sam Konstas has shown signs of tempering his aggression before being caught at point for 17 in NSW’s Sheffield Shield clash with Victoria.
One day after raising eyebrows around the country, Konstas put the ramp and the slog sweep away as NSW took charge of their Shield match at the SCG on Wednesday.
After Jackson Bird’s early double-strike left Victoria all out out for 182 in reply to the Blues’ 238, NSW were 4-134 at stumps on day two and leading by 190 runs.
The SCG match looms as crucial in this summer’s Shield season, with both teams vying to finish in the top two with three rounds to play.
But realistically, all eyes were on Konstas after his seven-ball cameo on Monday that finished with him being bowled trying to slog-sweep Scott Boland on 10.
Where the opener reverse-scooped his second ball on Tuesday and charged down the deck to his third, he left three of his first four balls on Wednesday.
It took him 13 balls to get off the mark, taking a quick single when he dropped and ran following a forward defence to Boland.
With NSW coach Greg Shipperd and Blues batting coach Nick Larkin sitting in the boundary dug-out, Konstas waited exactly 30 balls before his first real attacking shot.
Runs then came in something of a flurry, toeing a short and wide ball for four from Will Sutherland before middling a cut shot from an equally poor delivery on the next ball.
The right-hander hit another loose ball from Sutherland to the point boundary, before he picked out the point fielder to a delivery outside off stump from Boland.
Konstas has now made scores of 3, 22, 10 and 17 since returning from Sri Lanka this month, after selectors preferred Travis Head play as an opener in Asia.
Sam Konstas was dismissed by Scott Boland in both innings. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
But Wednesday’s innings at least showed a change in temperament for Konstas, after his crash-and-bash innings had prompted questions on if he would win back his spot for the World Test Championship final in June.
Konstas had made his name on the back of more conventional batting earlier this summer, leaning heavily on his cover drive during twin tons against South Australia in October.
He then earned headlines for his efforts to disrupt Jasprit Bumrah’s rhythm on Boxing Day, flying to 60 on debut while scooping the Indian maestro and jumping down the wicket.
While that had earned global interest, questions had remained over whether the approach could work long-term.
Those doubts intensified on Tuesday, with former Test opener and ex-NSW coach Phillip Jaques among those to be critical.
“I’m all for entertainment and good batting, but that wasn’t good batting on day one. It was good fun for five minutes,” Jaques said in Shield commentary on Wednesday.
“It was better application from Konstas today, he was really patient and gave himself a chance to get in.
“It was a better innings, but unfortunately not much to show for it.”
After Konstas fell on Wednesday, Josh Philippe was involved in the day’s most bizarre moment when umpire Simon Lightbody began to give him out lbw to Mitch Perry on 25, before Lightbody changed his mind.
Phillipe rubbed salt into the wound when he hit Todd Murphy onto the roof of the Members’ Stand in the next over, before being caught off Boland (2-29) shortly afterwards for 31 off 51 balls, including four fours and two sixes.
Meanwhile, opener Sam Fanning fell just short of a century but has put Western Australia in a powerful position against Queensland on day two of their Sheffield Shield game.
Fanning made 95 as WA posted 312 all out on Wednesday at The Gabba in reply to Queensland’s first innings of 147.
At stumps, the Queenslanders are 1-39 in their second innings, still 126 runs behind the visitors.
Fanning was within reach of his maiden first-class century when he launched at an off-side drive at a Michael Neser delivery but chopped onto his stumps.
The New Zealand-born lefthander struck five fours and two sixes in his 229-ball knock and featured in two telling partnerships.
The 24-year-old put on 108 runs with his opening partner Sam Whiteman, who was dismissed for 67 late on Tuesday.
Fanning also combined with Jayden Goodwin for a 103-run partnership for the third wicket.
Goodwin made 40 before missing an attempted sweep from legspinner Mitch Swepson (1-64).
Goodwin’s dismissal triggered a slide of 5-27 as Queensland stalwart Neser ripped through the middle-order.
Neser finished with 4-34 from 21 overs – he had nightwatchman Corey Rocchiccioli caught at mid-off for two early on the second day’s play.
The veteran paceman later removed Fanning, Ashton Turner (five) and Keaton Critchell (five), with fellow quick Xavier Bartlett (3-46) dismissing Joel Curtis (three) as WA lost five wickets in a 10-over span.
WA allrounder Hilton Cartwright then rallied his side with a handy 48 not out, steering the visitors to a 165-run innings lead.
The West Australians then achieved a key breakthrough when Rocchiccioli snared his eighth wicket in the match.
The offspinner, who claimed a career-best 7-52 in the first dig, removed Matt Renshaw for 10 in his first over of the innings, with Angus Lovell (26) and Hugo Burdon (0) unbeaten at stumps.
At the Adelaide Oval, a South Australian duo have struck half-centuries to give the Sheffield Shield leaders the upper hand over Tasmania in their fast-moving fixture.
SA are 6-272 in their second innings at stumps on day two, some 264 runs ahead of the Tasmanians. The hosts made just 93 in their first dig, with the visitors replying with 101.
But after 20 wickets fell on day one, four SA batsmen took control on Wednesday, with Jason Sangha (75), Conor McInerney (64), Harry Nielsen (49) and Liam Scott (43 retired hurt) all flourishing.
Sangha and McInerney combined for a match-high partnership for the third wicket.
Hilton Cartwright (Photo by Will Russell/Getty Images)
The duo put on 100 runs after the early losses on day two of opener Henry Hunt (10) and skipper Nathan McSweeney (seven).
Tasmanian seamer Gabe Bell (2-44) dismissed both Hunt, who got a leading edge attempting to hit the through the legside and was caught and bowled, and McSweeney, trapped lbw for the second time in the match.
McInerney and Hunt took SA’s total to 138 before the former was bowled by a superb delivery from Riley Meredith (2-40). The right-armer was bowling around the wicket and got a delivery to move away from the left-handed batsman and clip off stump.
New Test allrounder Beau Webster (1-45) adopted a similar tactic, bowling around the wicket with his medium pacers, and removed Jake Lehmann (14) caught at first slip by Jordan Silk.
Sangha was removed a dozen overs later, leaving SA 5-181 and the game in the balance.
But allrounder Scott and wicketkeeper-batsman Nielsen then turned the tide in favour of the home side with a brisk 89-run partnership.
Nielsen cracked eight boundaries in his 81-ball knock, and Scott struck six fours before retiring hurt about 10 minutes before stumps because of a suspected migraine.
Nielsen was trapped lbw by Meredith in the next over, giving the quick his second wicket.
© AAP
