MITCHELL JOHNSON: Sam Konstas needs to play domestic cricket to learn the grind of Test arena

West Australian

2 days ago

By any measure, Australia's 3–0 whitewash of the West Indies in the Test series was ruthless.
But beyond the scoreboard, the series revealed two sharply contrasting narratives: one of a nation still anchored by world-class fast bowling, and the other still searching desperately for batters to support what is, at times, a promising bowling unit.
Let's start with the obvious. Mitchell Starc's 100th Test was pure theatre — 6 for 9 in a 14-over innings where the West Indies were dismantled for just 27 runs, the second-lowest total in Test history.
It was pace, swing, control and menace, all at once. Five wickets in 15 deliveries? That's not just dominance — that's legacy-building.
But even amid the demolition, questions linger — especially for Australia. This series didn't solve their concerns; it only made them clearer.
The pace bowling attack — Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Scott Boland — remains world-class, delivering vintage spells almost on command.
But the top order continues to look brittle. Usman Khawaja's form is inconsistent. Cam Green is still a work in progress. He's shown grit and determination, but No. 3 may not be his spot.
Nathan McSweeney is pushing the door down with runs and reliability at State level and in Australia A matches. He's doing exactly what selectors ask: scoring runs and being consistent.
Then there's 19-year-old Sam Konstas. Thrust into a high-pressure opener's role, he looked overawed. Averaging just 8.33 for the series, and dropping multiple catches, he has potential but also showed how far he has to go.
The talent may be there, but the readiness isn't.
Konstas needs time in the domestic grind to sharpen his game and gain clarity around his technique and temperament.
Let's be honest — Australia didn't just win because of their bowling brilliance. They also benefited from a West Indies side that underperformed badly, both with the bat and in the field.
Dropped catches, missed chances, and soft dismissals undid whatever good their bowlers had worked hard to build.
It was a lean series with the bat for both teams, and pitch conditions certainly played a role. But the third Test, under lights with the pink ball swinging under the evening sky, exposed more than conditions ever could.
The West Indies' shot selection crumbled, their defensive technique fell apart, and the mental resilience simply wasn't there. The series average of 14.95 runs per wicket says it all — not just poor, but historically so.
And that's the heartbreak. This is the same region that gave cricket the brilliance of Holding, Ambrose, Richards, and Lara. This series, the Windies rarely went much beyond day three.
There were glimpses of fight — particularly from Shamar and Alzarri Joseph — but the edge, the belief, the unity that earned them that remarkable win in Australia just 18 months ago was nowhere to be found with the bat.
For Australia, this tour was meant to be a tune-up before the Ashes and a chance to test new talent. But what did they truly learn? That their bowlers can steamroll fragile line-ups? Yes. That their top three still lacks cohesion and certainty? Definitely.
England will be a far sterner challenge. So yes, the Frank Worrell Trophy is back in the cabinet, and Starc has crossed 400 Test wickets — a remarkable achievement. But the series didn't feel like a contest. It felt like a mismatch.
For the selectors, the job isn't done. The top order still needs reshaping. Green, Travis Head, Alex Carey and Beau Webster all chipped in this series but no one truly imposed themselves with the bat.
If not for Starc's record-breaking spell in Kingston along with Boland's impressive hat-trick, we'd likely be talking about narrow wins built on bowling rescue missions.
If Test cricket is to have a future in the Caribbean, it needs more than memories of the past. It needs investment, structure, and belief.
In the end, Australia delivered what was expected, a series win but mostly thanks to the bowlers.