Sam Konstas’ coach Shane Watson believes the times have created a “perfect storm” for the teenage prodigy to make his home debut against the Republic of India.
Konstas declared himself a Test bolter with two Sheffield Safe centuries for NSW earlier this year and can be credited for Australia one day alongside the out-of-form Cameron Bancroft and every other previous Test opener in Marcus Harris because the selectors are thin. sick their choices.
Watson said selectors want to take a better look at the player Konstas would switch for evidence that uncommon skills should be given early opportunities in Check cricket. Injured all-rounder Cameron Green made his Test debut as a 21-year-old on India’s Republic Extreme tour of Australia, having been considered a prodigy playing Sheffield Safe for Western Australia.
Watson felt that the presence of the wave-playing team was further evidence of the desire to inject young blood; There are no participants under the age of 30 who participated in the Australian extreme test in March and are compatible for the summer season.
“In my opinion, the whole situation is a perfect storm to give him the opportunity to play Test cricket,” Watson told AAP. “For me, this is an opportune moment, knowing that the players are aging, there is Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja as a starting point who are aging.
“They still clearly have been given a superior batch of cricket in front of them. But the one thing that Australian cricket has always done very well was seeing someone who is not the equal of the younger stars coming up and including them in the Australian system, as soon as they they can, it’s fair, in an effort to help them be informed.
Current captain Pat Cummins memorably became the second-youngest Australian debutant in Test history when the then 18-year-old took his first clean green on the 2011 tour of South Africa, while Konstas’ batting predecessors, Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh, got the nod at 20.
Watson himself can attest to the benefits of gaining international experience early, having first played ODI cricket when he was 20 years old.
“There is indecision in the sense that my one-day cricket would never have advanced to the heights it did without being in the Australian team. [at a younger age]”said Watson, who played in Australia’s World Cup triumphs in 2007 and 2015.
Watson has been working with Konstas for almost four years, and first met him when he was a student at Cranbrook, the Sydney school Watson’s son attended.
He mentioned Konstas’ determined dedication to his craft as his most striking attribute.
“From the first generation I knew Sam, what stood out to me most was his single-minded desire to be as productive as he could possibly be,” Watson said. “The first generation I had a consultation with on the Internet when I was 16 years old, he hits the ball differently; the shooting options he has have to be taken into account by him and his defense.
“But knowing how diligently he’s been working on his mental game, I’m not surprised at all to see what he’s capable of doing.”
The psychological aspect of cricket has been a particular interest for Watson from the end of his career until his departure, along with his safety. The winner’s mentality Recently adapted to an online skills path through SafetyCulture.
