Sam Konstas: Are you on board with him?

[hugecannon]

Unless he scores runs in the second innings, then I wouldn’t take him to SL, I’d give him the rest of the shield season to continue to work on his game, with the hope he finishes strong and can come back in for the windies tour mid year.

 

[Torz]

He is eminently watchable, so I hope he’s successful. Anyone with a high risk/reward game style is bound to garner critics.

 

[Pure_Ownage]

Talent is the most overrated thing in elite level cricket - simply because they all have it

Purely from a Test Batting perspective - he’s far from what you want as a traditional Test Opener. His grip is split which means he’s heavy on the bottom hand which usually means he’s going to be a bit dodgy outside off to the moving ball early. Split Grip means you have the ability to play the trick shots which he does exceptionally well. He has a bug gap between bat and pad which Bumrah has already been through once.

It is a high risk/high reward game. As such consistency is a query a big one.

As many have pointed out most players that start at his age generally have their flaws exposed, go back and work on them then reemerge as a better player. But those days might be gone.

The player I would most liken him to is the late Phil Hughes who made similar runs for fun at junior levels with pretty major technical issue. He was on his third go at it when he unfortunately passed away so sadly we will never know. Steve Waugh also took three goes at it before he transformed from a bloke with the best back foot cover drive (aesthetically speaking) to just a hard nosed run machine.

But we are living in different times now.

Hughes is definitely an example. His ability to take attacks apart was fantastic but he had large technical flaws. It's hard to know whether he would have overcome it or not.

But the comparison is also valid in that while Hughes would take big risks with his batting style off the field he wasn't arrogant and a knob with the way he behaved. So that's something konstas could and should learn from.

 

[Spiritof82]

He has the same unlikable attitude and antics that Warner had so I wish him a very short career and hopefully his disappears back to whatever grade cricket club he came from, but given he's a favorite of the NSW based cricket press he'll be kept in the team no matter how bad he plays.

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

Haas major flaws in his front foot foot play.

He’s also 19.

I’ll go out and say he plays 40 tests, averaging 35.

 

[Gough]

Haas major flaws in his front foot foot play.

He’s also 19.

I’ll go out and say he plays 40 tests, averaging 35.

If he averages 45 he's playing more Tests than that.

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

If he averages 45 he's playing more Tests than that.

Thats why I said 35.

 

[Gough]

My bad.

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

My bad.

All good.

 

[demondavey]

Needs a second innings score. End of story.

 

[t_94]

Haas major flaws in his front foot foot play.

He’s also 19.

I’ll go out and say he plays 40 tests, averaging 35.

70 and 42 for me.

 

[t_94]

Talent is the most overrated thing in elite level cricket - simply because they all have it

Purely from a Test Batting perspective - he’s far from what you want as a traditional Test Opener. His grip is split which means he’s heavy on the bottom hand which usually means he’s going to be a bit dodgy outside off to the moving ball early. Split Grip means you have the ability to play the trick shots which he does exceptionally well. He has a bug gap between bat and pad which Bumrah has already been through once.

It is a high risk/high reward game. As such consistency is a query a big one.

As many have pointed out most players that start at his age generally have their flaws exposed, go back and work on them then reemerge as a better player. But those days might be gone.

The player I would most liken him to is the late Phil Hughes who made similar runs for fun at junior levels with pretty major technical issue. He was on his third go at it when he unfortunately passed away so sadly we will never know. Steve Waugh also took three goes at it before he transformed from a bloke with the best back foot cover drive (aesthetically speaking) to just a hard nosed run machine.

But we are living in different times now.

Think I said on another thread but his conventional front foot play and the split grip reminds me of Faf Du Plessis.

 

[western royboy]

Think I said on another thread but his conventional front foot play and the split grip reminds me of Faf Du Plessis.

Yep you did

 

[Foxx]

Not sure you can forge a test career as an opener with a one day mode.

 

[RightWingRoo]

Not sure you can forge a test career as an opener with a one day mode.

Warner? Sehwag? Gayle?
All 7000+ runs at an average of 40 or better, with 5 triple-tons between them.

He'll need to tighten up a bit technically to have a long test career. But he has plenty of time on his side to keep developing his game.

 

[ioppolo]

I like him, it reminds me of when a young exciting 19 year old Craig McDermott made his test debut against the Windies in 1984.

His first wicket was a full bunger, probably should have been a no ball tbh but us kids loved him.

No waist high no balls back then? That was ridiculous.

 

[revo333]

Thought he looked better than nearly everyone else on this pitch so far.

 

[revo333]

Unless he scores runs in the second innings, then I wouldn’t take him to SL, I’d give him the rest of the shield season to continue to work on his game, with the hope he finishes strong and can come back in for the windies tour mid year.

Why not?

Those who have watched a lot of him say he is good against spin.

 

[MisterMarcus]

Michael Clarke Mk II.

He may perform well and score runs, but the media's unrelenting circle jerk every time he even looks at the ball will probably poison the well against him.

 

[Gough]

I'm on the board for no better reason that when I was young and I'd hear older people badmouth us for no better reason than we were different to what they were used to I swore to myself I'd always try not to be like that when I got older. I haven't always succeeded but in this case I'll keep trying.

 

[revo333]

Warner? Sehwag? Gayle?
All 7000+ runs at an average of 40 or better, with 5 triple-tons between them.

He'll need to tighten up a bit technically to have a long test career. But he has plenty of time on his side to keep developing his game.

Can have Him and Head in the same team bat the way they do but England proves if everyone bats that way it's too inconsistent.

 

[iDon]

Clearly tried to be a bit more defensive with more leaves and blocks but lacked any ability to rotate the strike.

Turned to his trick shots, got away with it but didn't last long.

Think he will be a very good short form player, wouldn't take him to SL and give him some shield games, get him to England and play some county cricket and work on his game.

 

[Black Diamond]

We’ve heard a few times that he bats differently in Shield cricket. I am keen to actually see that at test level.

I am generally ok with him sticking it up our opponents, particularly while he is batting.

I am not as anti split grip as some commentators. I would not teach it but if a player found his or her own way to it then ok. Understand the limitations of it though.

 

[cats_09]

Not sure you can forge a test career as an opener with a one day mode.

Ben Duckett - this from middle of the year,

Ultimate Bazballer Ben Duckett opens up on why he'll never change the way he plays, having faced 1,915 balls in Tests - and has only left 31...

...When he walks out to bat against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford next week, he will be armed with an average of 41, a strike-rate of 85, and – above all – the confidence to be himself.

Ben Duckett sheds light on his doubts about playing Test Cricket

It's not even two years since Ben Duckett returned to Test cricket, hoping - perhaps even praying - that his second crack would go better than his first.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[hugecannon]

Why not?

Those who have watched a lot of him say he is good against spin.

My guess Is they’ll open with Head and Kwahaja and bring in another middle order player meaning he misses out.

I’d rather him playing shield cricket than carrying drinks in SL.