Sam Konstas: Are you on board with him?

[Adelaide Hawk]

Personally, I don't think McDonald did him any favours by having a go at the Indians... He was the instigator in that skirmish (as opposed to Melbourne).

McDonald's comments were ridiculous. Criticizing the opposition for intimidation? that's what Test cricket is all about. When you have a new kid on the block, you test him out to see what he's made of. Test cricket is a test of your skill, your courage, and your character. If he passes the test, welcome to Test cricket.

I agree, the contact with Kohli in the 4th Test wasn't his fault and he handled it well. The incident before stumps in the 5th Test WAS his fault. Bumrah had every right to expect the batsman to be ready when he turned around to bowl. I understand the tactic to prevent another over before stumps, but that doesn't make it right.

Konstas is an interesting one. There's no doubt the talent is there. Right now, the flaws in his strokeplay are also obvious. I'd like to see him get into his head that it's a 5 day Test, not a T20 international, and that he needs to leave more balls outside the off stump. Make the bowlers bowl to him.

 

[PhatBoy]

McDonald's comments were ridiculous. Criticizing the opposition for intimidation? that's what Test cricket is all about. When you have a new kid on the block, you test him out to see what he's made of. Test cricket is a test of your skill, your courage, and your character. If he passes the test, welcome to Test cricket.

I agree, the contact with Kohli in the 4th Test wasn't his fault and he handled it well. The incident before stumps in the 5th Test WAS his fault. Bumrah had every right to expect the batsman to be ready when he turned around to bowl. I understand the tactic to prevent another over before stumps, but that doesn't make it right.

Konstas is an interesting one. There's no doubt the talent is there. Right now, the flaws in his strokeplay are also obvious. I'd like to see him get into his head that it's a 5 day Test, not a T20 international, and that he needs to leave more balls outside the off stump. Make the bowlers bowl to him.

He saw a very very brief microcosm of it when a low total and desperation saw them having to target his stumps and immediately they gave him two free half volleys on leg stump in the second dig.

 

[western royboy]

McDonald's comments were ridiculous. Criticizing the opposition for intimidation? that's what Test cricket is all about. When you have a new kid on the block, you test him out to see what he's made of. Test cricket is a test of your skill, your courage, and your character. If he passes the test, welcome to Test cricket.

I agree, the contact with Kohli in the 4th Test wasn't his fault and he handled it well. The incident before stumps in the 5th Test WAS his fault. Bumrah had every right to expect the batsman to be ready when he turned around to bowl. I understand the tactic to prevent another over before stumps, but that doesn't make it right.

Konstas is an interesting one. There's no doubt the talent is there. Right now, the flaws in his strokeplay are also obvious. I'd like to see him get into his head that it's a 5 day Test, not a T20 international, and that he needs to leave more balls outside the off stump. Make the bowlers bowl to him.

McDonald was running a diversion to take the heat off…don’t get sucked in.

Anything he wants to say to Konstas will be done behind closed doors.

McDonald is a very loyal and decent bloke and arguably the ultimate team man.

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

McDonald was running a diversion to take the heat off…don’t get sucked in.

Anything he wants to say to Konstas will be done behind closed doors.

McDonald is a very loyal and decent bloke and arguably the ultimate team man.

But as we all know, people will be judged by what they say or do in a public domain, not what they say behind closed doors.

 

[Soggy2112]

It's knowing the right time to fly the flag. There was absolutely nothing to be achieved on Day 1, except to p*** off the best bowler in the world. He acted like a bit of a tool... And the Indians responded in kind when they knocked over Usman. IMO it was a d***head draw, they cancel each other out.

Personally, I don't think McDonald did him any favours by having a go at the Indians... He was the instigator in that skirmish (as opposed to Melbourne).

I mean there arguably was a point to it, him going at Bumrah and the delay that followed guaranteed there wasn’t a fourth over that night.

Now maybe I’m giving the kid too much credit, but given that was the only time we actually saw him bite back at the Indians there’s an argument he knew exactly what he was doing. I’ve seen people suggesting he fired up Bumrah, but given he’s been taking top order wickets for fun you’d be a harsh critic to blame Konstas for it happening again.

Is that you Andrew McDonald? There are plenty of people who have played at the top level who have said his behaviour (in that particular instance) was unnecessary. They (the Indians) gave a bit back and we started crying about it.

It’s not the giving it back that I have an issue with. It’s the physically getting in a players face that I have an issue with. If Bumrah had have turned around and did what Anderson did to Johnson then I’d say play on.

Watch the replay of the celebration of Usman’s wicket. Bumrah charges towards Konstas. Look how many players deliberately deviate and run directly at Sam and get in his face unnecessarily. That’s a clear attempt to physically intimidate an opposition player which is not okay on a cricket field.

 

[Soggy2112]

But as we all know, people will be judged by what they say or do in a public domain, not what they say behind closed doors.

I’d say deflecting pressure of your own player and backing him publicly in the media is excellent coaching.

Kevin Sheedy did it all the time and we rightly praise him for it.

 

[Soggy2112]

McDonald's comments were ridiculous. Criticizing the opposition for intimidation? that's what Test cricket is all about. When you have a new kid on the block, you test him out to see what he's made of. Test cricket is a test of your skill, your courage, and your character. If he passes the test, welcome to Test cricket.

You intimidate by putting pressure on with your play. You can use words and mind games to intimidate a young player. All that is fair.

Physically getting in an opponent’s face is simply not appropriate on a cricket field. The reason we so rarely see violence in cricket is because people know not to cross that line. India have done so on multiple occasions this series and it needs to be called out.

I agree, the contact with Kohli in the 4th Test wasn't his fault and he handled it well. The incident before stumps in the 5th Test WAS his fault. Bumrah had every right to expect the batsman to be ready when he turned around to bowl. I understand the tactic to prevent another over before stumps, but that doesn't make it right.

Whether you agree with it or not, we all know that every team does it. If this frustration it should be on the umpires for not policing it better.

Konstas is an interesting one. There's no doubt the talent is there. Right now, the flaws in his strokeplay are also obvious. I'd like to see him get into his head that it's a 5 day Test, not a T20 international, and that he needs to leave more balls outside the off stump. Make the bowlers bowl to him.

From all reports this is not how he normally bats. It’s a tactic he specifically employed for this series, I think partly because the selectors were looking for someone to hit Bumrah off his lines and lengths which worked in Melbourne, and there’s an argument that India’s poor start with the ball in the second innings in Sydney was partly down to what Konstas has done.

I think we will see a very different version of Konstas in the future, but the fact that he has this in his locker for when it’s required can only be a positive.

 

[Teen Wolf]

They (the Indians) gave a bit back and we started crying about it.

The Australian reaction was to go on and win the match, and win the series 3-1.

The Indian reaction was to give lectures about toughness while soft player after soft player jumped off a sinking ship. More heart muscles pulled this tour than England in 2013/14.

Who’s celebrating anything?

Why are you arguing a point no one has made? They have the same rating as SA - 105. I dare say India’s will drop after this series. So they will probably go past them without having to do anything regardless.

I like how you’ve written that line about Konstas as though the English guys don’t get criticised

You would swear blind they have lost every match they’ve ever played under McCullum to listen to both the media here and half the posters on this forum.

In reality they’ve lost two series - one in India where everyone loses anyway aside from, ironically, NZ.

Every single time one of them gets out playing an attacking shot they cop it. Just like Sam has and will, they do too.

Australian cricket isn’t about moral victories? They celebrated a draw pretty hard last year.

The English losers get criticised a little bit, prompting you to come in here and lament praise for a winning Konstas.

The ICC has SA and India on 109 fwiw, England 106, not that it really matters when they're so far behind Australia on 126.

more baffling garbage with no relevance to the thread

 

[Rabish Binney]

Firstly, I don't think any other country would have responded in the way India did. They clearly have a sense of entitlement and knowledge that they are treated differently. More specifically, could you imagine the response globally if Aus did the exact same thing to Jaiswal for example? My God there'd be a royal inquiry into how that could be allowed to happen.

Secondly, which is closely related to the first, India know they can do whatever they want and act however they want, no sanctions will come. Or if they do they're an absolute joke and everyone laughs at it.

McDonald calling that out isn't an issue. Any opposition captain, coach and media would be launching into the Australian team if we did the same.

Absolutely 100% spot on.

The double standards & hypocrisy when it comes to what the Australians do vs the Indians is astounding.

Everyone knows what would have happened if it was Starc that shouldered Jaiswal for instance. Yet the Kohli/Konstas issue was hardly mentioned by the media and nothing form the BCCI.

Yet we know what the outrage and uproar would have been from the precious Indians fans and the BCCI is it was Starc.

Gambhir has a go at Konstas but he didn't mention Kohli? The way Kohli carried on was embarrassing. But nothing was raised or said. Again, imagine if it was an Australian player?

What a hypocrite.

 

[PhatBoy]

The Australian reaction was to go on and win the match, and win the series 3-1.

The Indian reaction was to give lectures about toughness while soft player after soft player jumped off a sinking ship. More heart muscles pulled this tour than England in 2013/14.


The English losers get criticised a little bit, prompting you to come in here and lament praise for a winning Konstas.

The ICC has SA and India on 109 fwiw, England 106, not that it really matters when they're so far behind Australia on 126.

I’m not lamenting anything. I see 20 and getting out swinging for the hills as making 20 and getting out swinging for the hills.

 

[Teen Wolf]

I’m not lamenting anything. I see 20 and getting out swinging for the hills as making 20 and getting out swinging for the hills.

Some players do it because they can't bat any other way, and selfishly cost their team matches.

That's why names like Duckett and Crawley don't belong in this thread.

 

[PhatBoy]

Some players do it because they can't bat any other way, and selfishly cost their team matches.

That's why names like Duckett and Crawley don't belong in this thread.

Lol.

Ok mate.

 

[western royboy]

Watch the replay of the celebration of Usman’s wicket. Bumrah charges towards Konstas. Look how many players deliberately deviate and run directly at Sam and get in his face unnecessarily. That’s a clear attempt to physically intimidate an opposition player which is not okay on a cricket field.

I have played in many games where tensions have been high and people have tried to push the boundaries of fair play - as a batsman wanting to get off as a captain trying to stay on.

Everyone knew what was going on out there. India pushing for another over, Australia trying to prevent it. Konstas as a non striker had no right to get involved as Ian Chappell would have said leave that up to the Umpires and stay in your lane.

I have absolutely no problem with the Indians running at Konstas after the wicket fell. It’s an emotional and at times highly psychological game. Had Sam said nothing, nothing would have changed but by doing so he’s stirred Bumrah right up and who knows whether he would have bowled the same ball. What you can take from his actions is that it certainly lifted him.

Under the circumstances i would suggest it was a totally normal reaction.

 

[western royboy]

But as we all know, people will be judged by what they say or do in a public domain, not what they say behind closed doors.

McDonald gets judged on his results. What he says to the press is literally feeding the chooks - he does it because he has to. I don’t read anything into it.

 

[Teen Wolf]

Other things Ian Chappell says:

“If I’m at the non-striker’s end and I start talking to the bowler, the umpire’s going to stop me doing that.

“I’d just say ‘So what mate? Only one team’s allowed to talk out here, eh? You stop the fieldsmen talking and you won’t hear another word from me. But until you stop the fieldsmen talking you’ll hear from me. Now get it sorted.’”

 

[The hands of stone]

But as we all know, people will be judged by what they say or do in a public domain, not what they say behind closed doors.

I don't think he would really care tbh .

His job as coach is to publicly support his player , which he did .
Worrying about the public, media or the Indian camp think wouldn't concern him .

 

[TheMcManusNose]

I think technical issues are a bit overblown but he's got to sort out the headless chook stuff a bit.

Don't mind him being aggressive and putting it back on the bowler but when you have a full range of shots like he does and are very good at staying still and hitting the ball hard there is no need to run down the track to everything.

That probably only comes with time and experience. But still, who the **** else are you going to pick.

 

[western royboy]

I think technical issues are a bit overblown but he's got to sort out the headless chook stuff a bit.

Don't mind him being aggressive and putting it back on the bowler but when you have a full range of shots like he does and are very good at staying still and hitting the ball hard there is no need to run down the track to everything.

That probably only comes with time and experience. But still, who the **** else are you going to pick.

What is technique?

It is what you do under pressure. You practice / train yourself over hours, years so that when the ball is bowled you react with the appropriate shot. It is automatic, muscle memory.

Konstas grip is split which is not conventional, meaning he has a lot of bottom hand but there’s more and more of those around. But it does mean you have some limitations on the offside.

Is it sustainable to run down the pitch because you get beaten outside off stump because of your grip?

No way

 

[Mateyman]

Everyone knew what was going on out there. India pushing for another over, Australia trying to prevent it. Konstas as a non striker had no right to get involved as Ian Chappell would have said leave that up to the Umpires and stay in your lane.

I have absolutely no problem with the Indians running at Konstas after the wicket fell. It’s an emotional and at times highly psychological game. Had Sam said nothing, nothing would have changed but by doing so he’s stirred Bumrah right up and who knows whether he would have bowled the same ball. What you can take from his actions is that it certainly lifted him.

Under the circumstances i would suggest it was a totally normal reaction.

There were 2 balls after the confrontation. One was a wide ball very safely left alone and the wicket ball was only just short of a half volley and didn't noticeably move off the seam - not really sure that it was some inspired ball as much as a pretty crap stroke from Usman.

 

[Quay Club]

Very few players in world cricket have been able to do to Bumrah what Konstas did in the first innings at the MCG.

It was clearly a plan and he was given free reign to do it by the coaches.

It rattled the Indians and they were targeting him at every opportunity.

He is a precocious talent it will sometimes work and other times not.

The thing is he doesn't always bat like that in Sheffield Shield so he has many more strings to his bow.

In my opinion he seems to give as good as he gets with the verbal so I am not sure that he needs defending from the coaches.

I think he will tone it down a bit as he gets more experience but I think he has added a new dimension to the team.

 

[TheMcManusNose]

What is technique?

It is what you do under pressure. You practice / train yourself over hours, years so that when the ball is bowled you react with the appropriate shot. It is automatic, muscle memory.

Konstas grip is split which is not conventional, meaning he has a lot of bottom hand but there’s more and more of those around. But it does mean you have some limitations on the offside.

Is it sustainable to run down the pitch because you get beaten outside off stump because of your grip?

No way

Well no but that's not why he's doing it.

 

[PhatBoy]

What is technique?

It is what you do under pressure. You practice / train yourself over hours, years so that when the ball is bowled you react with the appropriate shot. It is automatic, muscle memory.

Konstas grip is split which is not conventional, meaning he has a lot of bottom hand but there’s more and more of those around. But it does mean you have some limitations on the offside.

Is it sustainable to run down the pitch because you get beaten outside off stump because of your grip?

No way

Somehow I don’t think it was just ‘having your hands a few inches apart on the bat’ that got him playing and missing.

Those sorts of things get over analysed to the point of silliness sometimes.

Graeme Smith and Faf du Plessis are batsmen I can think of immediately who come to mind with their hands wide apart on the handle who were extremely hard to prise from the wicket.

I’d say better judgement of what to play and what to leave would serve him better than changing a bat grip that obviously must come naturally to him

 

[revo333]

I'm more on board with Sam after the second test than I was after the first.

 

[Rookie]

Happy enough for Konstas to have played that disrupter / aggressive role, it clearly worked and distracted India more than us. Even his second innings in Sydney rattled Siraj and co, in the context of the series his approach was exactly what we needed. No coincidence Khawaja's two best knocks came after Konstas took the attack to India.

But I want Konstas to play his actual natural game in the future. He's good enough, but he needs to tone it down in the future.

From what I saw at Shield and Australia A level, his natural game is entertaining and aggressive enough to be a Duckett/Brooks type, without needing to play shots like the awful slog that got him out in the second innings.

 

[Kapow!!!]

Somehow I don’t think it was just ‘having your hands a few inches apart on the bat’ that got him playing and missing.

Those sorts of things get over analysed to the point of silliness sometimes.

Graeme Smith and Faf du Plessis are batsmen I can think of immediately who come to mind with their hands wide apart on the handle who were extremely hard to prise from the wicket.

I’d say better judgement of what to play and what to leave would serve him better than changing a bat grip that obviously must come naturally to him

Hmm. I tend to both agree and disagree with this post. Agreed that the split grip may be being a tad overanalysed here but disagree that it's judgement over technique.

Konstas has by far the worst front foot defensive technique I've ever seen from a batsman (and a majority of test bowlers too). He's late, barely moves out to it and has a monumental gap between pad and bat. Things you could never say about Faf and Smith in a million years who worked hard on developing a strong front foot technique that worked with the split grip.

When you're facing a bowler who has been putting the ball on a 5c piece and moving it both ways with that sort of glaring technical deficiency there really is only one possible way you can defend: By attacking almost every ball, varying the shots as often as possible and throwing the bowler off his length.

I'd expect Konstas would score well against some poorer attacks and pull out the odd streaky performance against good ones but until he tightens that defence up he's going to be wildly inconsistent and unable to set himself up for stints at the crease long enough to make a difference when the collective back is against the wall.

But, as most will say, he's young. Very young. Time is on his side to develop and strengthen that. The question is: Will he be given the chance and time do so or will he perpetually seconded into national duties in multiple formats?