McDonald says it's too early to judge whether Konstas will make it at Test level
After scores of 3, 5, 25 and 0 in Australia's two Test victories over the West Indies in the Caribbean, things will get even more challenging for the 19-year-old in a pink ball day-night fixture in Jamaica starting Saturday (Sunday morning AEST).
From four Tests, Konstas has made 146 runs at an average of 18.25. His first-class average is 31.66.
McDonald said the sample size was too small to form definitive judgments on the teenager's long-term prospects and praised his efforts to be more proactive at the crease during the second Test in Grenada.
'Four games, eight innings - it's probably early for anyone to judge really,' McDonald said. 'I think the challenges in Test cricket aren't necessarily always a skill level or your technique. It's dealing with the moments, the pressure, all the other things that externally come with that as well. He's a player finding his feet in the environment. Do we think he's good enough? Yes, we do.
'[It was] a small step forward in the last game with that first innings. His first 20-odd balls [in the first innings] he had positive intent. He was moving a lot better compared to the game before, where it looked like he was stuck in the middle and didn't know whether to play a shot ... either ultra-aggressive or ultra-defensive.
'I'm not going to say it's a huge step forward, but it was a small step forward last Test match, and we look forward to him growing as a player in this environment.'
McDonald indicated Australia would likely stick with the same XI in Kingston for what is now a dead rubber, with the series already wrapped up.
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