Teen tyro Sam Konstas has the game and batting technique “well suited” to Sri Lanka’s spinning wickets according to Australia’s chief selector George Bailey, though it may not be enough to avoid being replaced by subcontinent opening specialist Travis Head.
Konstas has been the talk of world cricket since his Boxing Day pyrotechnics and run-ins with Indian duo Jasprit Bumrah and Virat Kohli, and will gear up for his first Asian tour at the end of the month.
The 19-year-old will feature alongside several of the Test set-up’s next generation in a touring squad led by Steve Smith, given that Pat Cummins is staying home awaiting the birth of his second child.
Cummins is also nursing the ankle injury he managed through the Border-Gavaskar series. Scans later this week could impact his availability for February’s Champions Trophy one-day tournament in Pakistan.
Twenty-one year-old all-rounder Cooper Connolly, recalled batter Nathan McSweeney and spinners Matthew Kuhnemann and Todd Murphy are the most notable inclusions in the 16-man squad.
While the likes of Connolly and McSweeney have been preferred to Glenn Maxwell and Peter Handscomb, and Bailey insisted that axed Allan Border medallist Mitch Marsh remains in Ashes consideration for next summer, Australia’s opening pairing remains the greatest source of intrigue.
Travis Head on the attack in India two years ago.Credit: AP
Head’s stint at the top of the order during the 2023 tour of India yielded 223 runs at an average of 55 and a strike rate of 71 on turning pitches.
Forcing the pace of the game to begin Australia’s innings with the dynamic South Australian had seen him widely discussed as veteran Usman Khawaja’s opening partner in Sri Lanka before Konstas’ emergence.
Konstas’ audacious and unconventional approach against India offered the prospect of a similar launchpad at the top of the order, though Galle’s spin-friendly decks are far removed from Australian conditions.
“In truth, you never really know until someone’s faced with [subcontinent conditions],” Bailey said of Konstas.
Sam Konstas has come out all guns blazing to start his Test career.Credit: AP
“What we have seen is [that] he’s a quick learner, [and] absorbs a lot of information. From his spin play in Australia and the opportunities he has played in different parts of the world, we think he’s got a game that’s well-suited and a technique that can stand up.
“That’s one of the exciting things about this tour. We’ll learn a bit more about his game in different conditions to what he’s just faced in Australia.
“Trav’s an [opening] option … clearly, with that squad, we’ve got a number of options.”
Were Head to move to the top of the order, Konstas could still feature in a revamped middle-order, where McSweeney returns to contention after being dropped midway through Australia’s 3-1 series triumph over India.
Australia’s attack is expected to feature Kuhnemann operating alongside first-choice spinner Nathan Lyon, though playing three frontline spinners is also a distinct possibility in Galle.
Former Australian skipper Tim Paine has already raised the prospect of the same pitch being used for both Tests given the matches are played two days apart. Pakistan rolled England last year in similar circumstances, with spinners Norman Ali and Sajid Khan taking all 20 wickets on a worn pitch in Multan to keep the series alive.
Bailey said Connolly has been selected primarily as a middle-order all-round option alongside incumbent Beau Webster, with the Western Australian rookie’s left-arm finger spin offering “some handy overs”.
The pair’s preference over 36-year-old Maxwell and Marsh would seemingly spell the end for the former’s Test hopes given he last appeared in the format in 2017.
Cameron Green’s return from injury as a specialist batter at least for the World Test Championship in June also looms large for both veteran all-rounders, though Bailey said Marsh still had plenty to offer in home conditions.
“I don’t necessarily see it as the end of the road for him.
“I think Mitch at his best and with a longer-term view of potentially what the Ashes may look like and what England may throw at us, I think he’s got a skill set that suits there.
“Not taking away from the fact that at some stage clearly we’re going to have the return of Cameron Green as well into the team. But unlike some, [the selectors] are probably not as glass half empty around where that leaves Mitch.”
