He endured one of the most miserable series in Australian Test history in the Caribbean, but the great Ricky Ponting has urged selectors to retain Sam Konstas for the summer’s Ashes series.
The 19-year old, who lit up world cricket last summer when he flayed India and star fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah for a memorable Boxing Day half-century, managed just 50 runs at an average of 8.33 in Australia’s 3-0 series win over the West Indies – the worst run by an Aussie opener in the region in 41 years.
Along the way, several key technical deficiencies were ruthlessly exposed by the Windies’ pace attack, in particular Shamar Joseph, with uncertainty outside off stump and a vulnerability to inswing frequently contributing to his dismissals.
The disaster has thrown the spot at the top of the order to take on England into jeopardy, but speaking on The ICC Review, Ponting, one of Australia’s greatest ever batters, has called for Konstas to get another chance on home shores.
“I’m not going to make any really harsh judgment calls on Sam yet because it was hard work for every batter in that series, there’s no doubt about it,” he said.
“They have to stick with him for a period of time and help him work through these deficiencies that he might have or might not have.
“If we get him back onto some flatter wickets at the start of the Australian summer and some Sheffield Shield matches under his belt, maybe he’s got a great chance there to get some confidence back and get some runs under his belt.
“I’ll back him in.”
Sam Konstas and Usman Khawaja. (Photo by Santanu Banik/Speed Media/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Like Konstas, Ponting also made his Test debut at a young age, making 96 at just 20 years old against Sri Lanka in 1995.
He took time to find his feet, averaging in the mid-30s at Test level until late 1999, before rapidly blossoming to become one of Australia’s all-time greats.
“The unfortunate thing about Test cricket and when you’re a young bloke trying to find your feet is quite often you have to work it out for yourself,” he said of Konstas’ struggles.
“You’ve got to find a method and something that works for you out in the middle – now that might be technique-wise, it might be the way you approach it, it might be the mental side of your game, but there’s no greater experience than being out there and doing it.
“It’s trial and error until you actually find the exact right remedy that works for you, and the only way you can do that is by being out in the middle.”
Ponting also noted that Konstas’ struggles came during a nightmare series for batters on both sides, with no player averaging more than 40 and just one score of beyond 300 managed from either team in bowler-friendly conditions.
He added that Australia’s decision to leave him out for the tour of Sri Lanka earlier this year, with Travis Head moved to the top of the order to partner Usman Khawaja in his stead, may have backfired.
“The Australians tried to protect him from what they thought was going to be a really difficult tour of Sri Lanka,” he said.
“They left him out there hoping to bring him in in the Caribbean where things might have been a little bit easier. Well, it’s been the exact opposite of that.
the wickets that we’ve got in the Caribbean have been hard for everybody to bat on.
“I look at that last result where the West Indies have been bowled out for 27. That’s just not down to high-quality bowling – that’s down to the surface and the ball and all sorts of things.”
Konstas is the latest Australian opening choice to struggle to bed down a position alongside Khawaja since David Warner retired in January 2024.
Since then, Steve Smith, Nathan McSweeney, Konstas, Head and Marnus Labuschagne have all been trialled at the top of the order, while Sheffield Shield stalwarts including Cameron Bancroft and Matt Renshaw have continually pressed their cases for higher honours.
