Victoria’s Harry Dixon knows better than most what Sam Konstas is capable of – but even he was stunned on Boxing Day.
Dixon ran the drinks for Australia at the two previous Boxing Day Tests, but last year he was down the beach at Sorrento when Konstas defied almost 150 years of batting convention with his extraordinary strokeplay.
Cricketer Harry Dixon will play for Victoria in the one-day cup final against South Australia this weekend. Credit: Justin McManus
“I was bloody amazed,” Dixon, 20, told this masthead with a smile. “I was like ‘what are you doing, mate’?”
“I wasn’t thinking what I would do, but more in awe of what Sammy was doing.
“I expected it a little bit. The first game of 19s I played with him, he ramped the first ball of the series for six, which was pretty exciting.
“I had a chat with him to say put the ramp shot away. He’s a serious talent. He’ll go a long way.”
This is a story about Dixon, not Konstas, but no story about Dixon in 2025 can be told without referencing the Boxing Day debutant. If Konstas is the next big thing in Australian cricket, Dixon can’t be far behind.
Dixon gets his big game moment in Saturday’s one-day cup final when Victoria play South Australia for the Dean Jones Trophy.
Konstas, who became an instant household name when he took down Jasprit Bumrah on Boxing Day, is flying the flag for Australia’s victorious under-19 World Cup team from last year.
Nine of the winning XI in the final have already made their debuts at state or BBL level. Paceman Mahli Beardman was named in his first senior national squad in September. Another prodigy, Oliver Peake, toured with the Test squad in Sri Lanka as a development player.
Harry Dixon playing for Australia in the U19 men’s Cricket World Cup Final between India and Australia, in South Africa in February.Credit: AP
Dixon was Australia’s leading run-scorer in the tournament, comfortably outscoring Konstas. Which is not to say he is a better player than Konstas, who has him covered for centuries at every level, but to put into perspective his considerable potential.
Konstas’ achievements so early in his career are an example of how quickly a player can rise to the baggy green.
“It gives you a lot of confidence it might not be too far away,” Dixon said. “Sammy did really well, did it in less than a year. Looking at him, it gives you a lot of belief that you can also get to that same level. Hopefully, in a few years me and Sammy might be sharing the same honours opening the batting.”
Dixon, a hard-hitting left-hander, has already drawn comparisons with David Warner from his state coach Chris Rogers, Warner’s old opening partner. Former international Shaun Marsh is another he has been likened to.
David Warner, pictured during the 2024 T20 World Cup, is Dixon’s favourite player.Credit: Getty Images
Comparisons to former stars can be fraught, saddling players with potentially unrealistic and unfair expectations. That said, Test great Greg Chappell remarked on something a Boston Red Sox talent scout once advised a junior: “if he doesn’t remind you of somebody, he won’t be somebody”.
Dixon said it was exciting to be compared to “two of the greats of Australian cricket”. “If I’m half the player I’d be a pretty decent player.”
Dixon’s hero as a kid was Warner. Like Warner, he is also an aggressive left-hander. Travis Head is another hard-hitting batter he has watched closely – but “you try to be your own man”.
Astute judges say Dixon’s white-ball game is more developed at this stage of his career, and he faces a steep learning curve figuring out the longer format at state level, but a 66 on first-class debut in a low-scoring Sheffield Shield game is a decent launching pad.
David Warner, pictured during the 2024 T20 World Cup, was Dixon’s favourite player.Credit: Getty Images
His love of the pull shot is one such dilemma. It brings him runs, but also gets him out. He won’t be shelving the stroke this weekend on Adelaide Oval’s short square boundaries.
Dixon isn’t a ramper but wants the shot in his repertoire. There’s risk involved, but it also eliminates risk elsewhere.
On Boxing Day, Konstas’s hitting forced Rohit Sharma to move third slip to the deep third boundary. Moments later, Konstas, playing conventionally, nicked a ball through where third slip would have been.
“I like them, maybe not quite as good at them as Sammy, but maybe I’ll put in a bit more practice,” Dixon said.
“That’s the way the game’s going at the moment. The reverse sweeps, the ramps, might need to implement them in my game.
“It’s a nice way top open up the field and manipulate fielders to where you want them. It’s a great shot to have in your arsenal.”
Chief selector George Bailey has not yet reached out to Dixon, but it won’t be long.
“It might be a bit too early, I’ve only played four or five professional games,” Dixon said. “Hopefully, a bit further down the track. That’d be nice.”
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