Key posts
Baum: The most audacious debut since Hookes
Not since Alexander the Great has a Greek teenager made such a startling impact on the world. Not since David Hookes in the Centenary Test in 1977 has a debutant appeared on cricket’s biggest stage and given it a shake-up as audacious as this.
Bazball is a reinvention of Test cricket, but on Boxing Day, Sam Konstas, the 19-year-old Sydneysider of Greek heritage, inverted the game altogether. One orthodox backfoot defence in mid-morning was greeted with a round of applause because it was the novelty. More than a first impression, it was meteorite’s crater.
The precocious Konstas is a player of his time, but nothing in his short career quite foreshadowed this. From the moment he literally ran onto the ground, leading Usman Khawaja by 50 or more metres, everything he did was amped up. Khawaja smiled as he might at his dog on a walk.
Sam Konstas plays a ramp shot against Jasprit Bumrah.Credit: Chris Hopkins
Video: Wrapping up the early action
Good morning and welcome
Hello and welcome to our day two coverage of the Boxing Day Test.
It’s difficult to remember a better opening day to one of these iconic matches in Melbourne. Sure, the middle session was slow-going for a bit, but that’s Test cricket. Everything that happened either side of it was captivating. Debutant opener Sam Konstas made people sit up and take notice by taking the game to India, and Jasprit Bumrah in particular, like few could have expected.
With Australia reaching 6-311 at stumps, and Steve Smith well beyond 50 runs, anything is possible from here.
