Galle: One part of the Sam Konstas who lit up the MCG on Boxing Day will forever remain in Sri Lanka: the thin moustache he wore that morning.
“Yeah I was a bit bored in my room when I was sick. I had nothing else to do, so I got rid of the mo,” he tells this masthead in an exclusive interview. “It should grow back in a week or two…”
Sam Konstas, sans mo.Credit: Getty Images
Konstas’ first tour overseas for Australia was not devised to shave flourishes from his game. But the journey to Dubai and then Sri Lanka was most certainly about the 19-year-old’s cricketing evolution.
In the weeks between his breathless first two Test matches and omission from two here, Konstas was aware of the criticism that flowed his way, especially from the UK. There was the contention that he was a limited player, apparently destined to be inferior to England’s young batting sensation Jacob Bethell, and less seriously a comparison to Raygun.
Then, once it became clear that Travis Head had been preferred at the top of the order and Josh Inglis in the team, came a flurry of criticism about Konstas not getting to play in Galle. Depending on who you read or listen to, Konstas either can’t play, or must play all the time.
“I feel like everyone’s got an opinion,” Konstas says of the media flurry. “But for me I’m just going to try to be in the present moment and be the best version of myself.”
As anyone might recall about their own teenage years, the process of finding that best version can take a while. From the removed vantage point of Australia’s beachside resort base in Sri Lanka, and following debriefs with his mentor Shane Watson and batting coach Tahmid Islam, Konstas looks back on the heady moments in Melbourne and Sydney as formative, for both his batting method and his personality in the spotlight of international cricket.
“I feel like for me I just love the game and I got caught in the moment definitely,” he says. “First time playing with big crowds. I felt like the emotions got to me quite a bit, and hopefully if I do get into that scenario again I can control that a bit better.
“It was two completely different games or series. The MCG and the SCG, the hype with the media stuff, then here it’s a lot more peaceful with media and crowds.
“I think having the right support networks and family is important, and just listening to their advice. Obviously there are a lot of other people with different opinions, and I just listen to the people that I trust.”
As for how he played against Jasprit Bumrah, in particular, Konstas points to the game scenarios and the fact that Australia needed a circuit-breaker at the top of the order. High percentage or not, his impactful contributions helped the hosts unbalance India enough to turn a 1-1 scoreline into a 3-1 victory.
“For me I thought that was the best method at that moment of time,” he says. “It sends messages to different teams on the way they’re going to attack me. It’s good just to have that in their mind a little bit. But I feel like if I do get another chance, hopefully it’ll be a bit different the way I play, more conventional.
“Obviously we go back to Shield cricket and I feel like that’s going to be a bit more conventional and play nice cricket shots. But you never know, maybe in a tough spell that may come out again. But for me it’s just about prepping well and trying to score as many runs as possible.”
In Dubai and Sri Lanka, those trusted voices have come from senior players and coaches with the Australian team. Konstas has, to their eye, come a long way over the past couple of weeks, although a bout of illness during the first Test cost him several days of net sessions.
Sam Konstas and Jasprit Bumrah were involved in a skirmish in Sydney.Credit: AP
“You’ve got to be yourself,” his erstwhile opening partner Usman Khawaja said. “Nineteen is young – I could not even imagine myself being thrust into the Australian team at that age. It’s a steep learning curve, so he’s going to have some steep learning curves throughout his career. He’s going to learn a lot about his game and himself, go through ups and downs.
“The beauty of Sam is he’s very easy to talk to, very receptive to feedback, which is a great trait to have. The younger generation have this air of confidence about them these days, but they’re really eager to learn. Be yourself, but they’re also able to quieten down and listen when the time is right.”
What did Konstas learn? That his best scoring options are by playing straight rather than sweeping against spin. And that he needs to figure out the ways in which he is happy to fail in these conditions.
“Scoring options is the big one, but understanding good and bad dismissals, especially in these tough conditions,” Konstas says. “When you’re defending it’s pretty tough, but everyone’s got their own style.
“I don’t think I’m that good at my sweeps or reverse [sweeps], but that’s something to work on when I’m back in Sydney. Uzzy and Marnus are the best at it and then you see how Steve and Travis approach it differently. So understanding your strengths and trying to stick to it as long as possible.”
Smith has spoken at length about how much those sessions benefited him at a young age. But there is one point Konstas makes that emphasises a fierce desire not to be left out for too long.
“I feel like you learn quite a bit from training, but I don’t think you can beat playing games,” he says firmly. “I think that’s where you learn the most, and different scenarios, the way you’ve got to adapt in different conditions. So I think playing games, you learn more from that.”
To that end, by leaving Sri Lanka early, Konstas was able to be chosen for New South Wales to play against Queensland at the Gabba on Saturday. Thus he will add to the number of Ashes Test venues he has experienced.
Sam Konstas will leave the Sri Lanka tour early to play Sheffield ShieldCredit: Getty Images
After the home summer, he is in talks with several counties about a short-term deal in England, and is expected to open the batting in the World Test Championship final against South Africa.
Despite the caustic words that have flowed his way from England, Konstas has plenty of admiring things to say about the country’s cricketers and the conditions he experienced on an Australian Under-19s tour in 2023. And he has a confession, too. As a kid, Konstas and his brothers revered Stuart Broad and James Anderson enough to pay homage to their bowling actions in backyard Ashes battles.
“I remember as a kid we would mimic some of the England bowlers in the backyard Ashes series with my brothers,” he says. “Stuart Broad a few times and Jimmy Anderson. Hopefully I get that opportunity to play over there.
“We had a series in England in the under-19s, so we were there for a month and it was different conditions, swinging with the Dukes ball, so it’s invaluable to have that experience. Hopefully a county team can pick me up.”
As for the long-term view, Konstas has a clear goal in mind. Taking note of how Travis Head spoke after winning the Allan Border Medal, an all-format role for Australia is the pinnacle of Konstas’ ambition.
“I want to test myself and become an all-format player one day,” Konstas says. “Travis Head is a legend of the game, just the way he goes about it is pretty simple and he takes on the bowlers. I’m very lucky at my age to learn from these guys and hopefully I can build on that.”
