Cricket Australia on Friday announced its squad for the fourth and fifth Tests of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India. The inclusion of 19-year-old opening batter Sam Konstas has drawn significant attention.
Konstas replaces Nathan McSweeny, who struggled for form in the first three Tests. McSweeny managed scores of 10, 0, 39, 10 not out, 9, and 4 across six innings. The 25-year-old made his Test debut in the series opener in Perth but failed to capitalise on opportunities.
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Who Is Sam Konstas?
Konstas is a promising right-handed batter who represents New South Wales. In 11 first-class matches, he has scored 718 runs at an average of 42.23, including two centuries and three half-centuries. His most recent first-class match was against Western Australia in Sydney earlier this month, where he scored 88 runs from 145 balls, hitting seven fours and two sixes.
The Greece-born cricketer made headlines recently with a standout performance in the Prime Minister’s XI pink-ball match against India. He scored 107 runs from 97 balls at Manuka Oval in Canberra. He also impressed in his Big Bash League debut for Sydney Thunder, smashing a 27-ball 56 and registering the fastest fifty in the franchise’s history.
Konstas was part of the Australia A squad in their two unofficial Tests against India A last month. After a quiet first match in Mackay, where he scored 0 and 16, he bounced back in the second match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground with scores of 14 and 73. In the latter innings, he batted at No. 4 and displayed resilience across 128 balls.
If included in the playing XI, Konstas will become Australia’s youngest Test debutant since Pat Cummins, who was 18 years old when he made his debut against South Africa in 2011.
Australia’s squad for the fourth and fifth Tests:
Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Travis Head (vc), Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Jhye Richardson, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster.
