Sydney [Australia], October 14 : Former Australia opening stalwart David Warner has urged the selectors to continue with young swashbuckler Sam Konstas for the first Ashes in Perth. The former southpaw believes that Konstas possess the required firepower in his arsenal to take down England's pace battery in the oldest rivalry of cricket, scheduled to begin on November 21.
Since Warner hung up his boots last year, Australia has tested several opening partners for Usman Khawaja, including Nathan McSweeney, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Josh Inglis, and Konstas. The 20-year-old Konstas burst into the international scenario with a ramp shot off the world's best Jasprit Bumrah in front of a jam-packed crowd at the iconic MCG last year.
Since then, Konstas has struggled to churn significant scores and live up to the hype he generated for himself. During Australia's tour of the West Indies, he managed to accumulate just 50 runs in six innings. He showed promise during his recent trip to the sub-continent and notched 109, 27*, 49 and 3 against a quality India A pace attack.
However, Konstas foundered in his attempt to extend his hot form to Australia's domestic circuit and fell flat with scores of 4 and 14 against Western Australia in Perth. Despite the mixed bag of results, Warner feels sticking with Konstas at the top would be the most optimal choice for the Baggy Greens.
"I'd like them to try and probably stick with Sam and give him a crack. He scored that hundred in the Australian A series [in India last month]. He batted outstandingly there. I don't think we've seen exactly what we know Sam Konstas can do," Warner said at Kayo Sports' Summer of Cricket launch in Sydney, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
"Last year... he probably got overwhelmed by the occasion, and we saw some very highlighted cricket. But I've seen him build innings, I've seen him play some fantastic innings, and I'd like to see him go back to just doing that," he added.
Konstas became an immediate success after he walloped 65-ball 60 against India's proven pace attack during the fourth Test in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He chipped in with two cameos during the final Test at the SCG but was dropped for Australia's tour of Sri Lanka due to condition-specific selection.
Warner feels that the early achievements of Konstas in Test cricket have left him uncertain about the tempo needed to sustain success in the format. He acknowledged that England possesses a stock of fast bowlers, primarily featuring Mark Wood and Jofra Archer, but backed Konstas to overcome the challenge.
"They don't have a Jasprit Bumrah, so he doesn't have to worry about that. They've got some fast bowlers, but he can tackle that. Last year, I felt like he just got caught up in the occasions. He got caught up in thinking it was the only way to play that way against Bumrah and then did it to the other players," Warner said.
"I don't think he needed to change his game to the other bowlers. He could have just stayed there and played the normal way. There was one guy who was getting a lot of people out, and... [Konstas] didn't want to get out to him because he was bringing the ball back in. He countered that, and he could have gone back in and just batted normally. So I think if he can work out that and identify those periods, I think he'll go a long way," he added.
While Konstas has endured a torrid run, Marnus Labuschagne, who was dropped for the Caribbean tour, overcame his dry spell and peeled off 160 for Queensland. Labuschagne was promoted to open alongside Khawaja during the World Test Championship final against South Africa, but failed to overcome his lean patch. Warner doesn't fancy an opening slot for Labuschagne and feels the number three spot would be ideal for him on his return.
"I think when you've got a lot of Test cricket under your belt, you know what he's capable of and know what he can do. If someone's averaging 50 in Test cricket, you've probably got to go back to that. Does he open? I wouldn't like to see him open. I'd like him to shuffle back down to three," he said.
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