Teenage Sam Konstas’s 150 opening for NSW sets tongues wagging

NSW’s Konstas excites after being elevated to open a week after turning 19

It is incumbent on me at this point for me to say that I have seen the future of Australian Test cricket and his name is Sam Konstas. To do so would be poor taste, premature and a cliché, nonetheless the 19-year-old who scored 150 opening for NSW on Tuesday had everyone who witnessed it in raptures.

This was an innings they will talk about for years. Especially if the teenager delivers on its promise.

By the time Konstas moved into the 40s old hands were raising an eyebrow in the corridors and quietly confirming they liked what they saw.

Former Test opener and NSW coach Phil Jaques was smiling widely as he and George Bailey discussed what would prove to be just an entrée. The best was yet to come.

Konstas was elegant and expansive on the off side early, keeping the ball on the grass. He never looked trouble on the way to a half century in what is just his fifth game for the state.

Impressively, he’d kept his head while more experienced players lost theirs. Skipper Moises Henriques (5) played a regrettable drive and was gone, Matthew Gilles (10) had just done something similar. Nic Maddinson (12) lost patience and was gone trying to hit over the top, Oliver Davies (37) burned bright and brief. Later, Josh Philippe got a half century on his debut for NSW but fell trying to treat the spinners with the same aggression as his more junior partner.

Philippe was presented his cap in the morning by Australian Cricketers Association chief Greg Dyer.

After reaching his half century Konstas changed gear and put on an emphatic display of controlled aggression, hitting the second 50 from 57 balls. On reaching the milestone he lifted the cap, raised the bat in modest acknowledgment and got back to work. It was good to see. This is a young man who seems to be on a mission.

On commentary Jaques was generous in his praise. He was the “real deal” he said and could not see why he should not be part of discussions for a chance at the next level.

There is, after all, some talk about the opening position.

There was, as noted, a selector at the ground.

While there are options if Smith drops back down the order, there is nobody who has put together enough work to demand the opening Test spot. If Konstas can follow this up in the next few match’s it could be worth the punt.

After reaching the century Konstas reigned it back in a bit and set himself to building a good team total. The gear changes and game awareness spoke of someone wise beyond their years.

Mentored by Shane Watson, he has worked hard on the mental side of his game, meditates regularly and even uses special breathing techniques to keep himself calm on the field. To get his blood flowing he almost sprints to the middle at the start of a session.

“I’ll keep it simple, stay hungry for runs and see what teams I’ll make,” Konstas said after the game.

He took a toll on the slower bowlers. Taking aim at the off spinners before they could settle down, hitting them hard and high back over their heads or the fence at cow corner. Mostly it was controlled and targetted hitting. Once he was let off when Alex Carey fumbled a stumping chance off Lloyd Pope, but there were few glimmers of hope for the South Australian bowling attack.

Konstas rarely over reached and rarely looked troubled. It is tempting to observe that he looked a class above. He did, however, fall to Pope, a little unlucky to be caught at slip after the ball deflected off Carey, but it was a tired shot.

His disappointment was obvious and later he said “I don’t think I hit it”.

Konstas is, obviously, Greek. His elevation to the Shield team last summer at the age of 18 saw him profiled in the Greek City Times (Which appears to have lifted the story entirely from Fox Sports, but I guess they don’t have a cricket correspondent on that particular publication).

He’s been setting fire to grade cricket for a number of years now, scoring 14 centuries and over 4000 runs at a 1000 runs a year as he moved up through the grades.

It is worth reflecting on the fact he was born in 2005.

Last season he set a new record for run scoring at Sutherland where Steve Smith and Jaques both plied their trade. Earlier this year he scored an impressive century against the West Indies in the Under19 World Cup.

At the lunch break, before Konstas had pinned the ears back, Bailey was seen in conversation with Travis Head. Was he perhaps talking to him about moving up the order for South Australia to see if he might be the answer to Australia’s opening dilamma? Probably not, but at that point in time it would have been understandable.

News of Cameron Bancroft and first drop Jayden Goodwin getting knocked over in the first two balls of the Western Australia innings had pinged across the continent. It was not an ideal way to start the summer. Unless you are the bowler Michael Neser or a Queenslander. Or in competition with Bancroft for a chance to open.

Mitch Marsh, whose name has been in the discussions as a potential opener, found himself facing the third delivery of the match, but the all-rounder was dismissed for a desultory 13 runs soon after.

There was better news at the Junction Oval where Marcus Harris reminded people that he was not yet a spent force in cricket. Once a Test opener and for many years considered in line to return to that position, he had fallen behind others in the conversation.

The 33-year-old appeared to have accepted that fact when he said that he would have to really kick the door down with some big runs to even be considered and that’s what he has done.

Harris scored 143 from 179 deliveries and has got his name back in the debate on the first day of the summer. Skipper Peter Handscomb _ another Victorian who burned brightly enough to make the Test team before slipping slowly from the scene _ also started his summer with a century in the game against Tasmania.

Handscomb, 33, came into the Australian season having scored 894 runs at 75 in the County Championship.

You can catch up with the all Sheffield Shield scores from the first day here. Sam Whiteman had a bit of a day of it at the WACA after losing team mates early.

In other news.

I was alarmed to be told yesterday that Cameron Green’s stress fracture is so bad he will be out for the summer, then somewhat relieved to have the news denied by people who have been part of recent conversations about the all rounder.

From what I can tell there is hope he might make the first Test, but experience suggest that is not going to happen given he would also have to get some form of warm up game in.

Official news of Green’s situation will be released later in the week. It is, however, pretty clear that he’s not going to be bowling any time soon.