Captain Cummins backs youngster Konstas as Australia cruise to West Indies win
Captain Pat Cummins backed inexperienced opener Sam Konstas to deliver on the international stage despite the youngster's struggles against the West Indies as Australia won the first test in Bridgetown by 159 runs on Friday.
The highly-rated 19-year-old was out for three runs as the Australians made a slow start to the first innings and scored five in his second spell at the crease, but Cummins threw his support behind the Sydney-born right-hander.
"One of the hard things about playing test cricket is you get thrown different conditions all the time," said Cummins.
"You might not have the flying hours under your belt as a youngster coming in, so you've got to come in and work out your craft on the bigger stage.
"The hardest thing when the pitch is doing a lot is getting out of your little bubble, trying to score and take good options, which is really hard in these conditions. You saw today how hard it can be to fire a few shots.
"Sammy tried a few different options yesterday, not too many worked out. But (I have) full confidence."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The South African
an hour ago
- The South African
Chiefs news: 39-goal striker signs, Motaung mentions more names
Kaizer Chiefs are reportedly putting pen to paper with Bissau-born striker Flavio Silva, who will be arriving from Indonesia's Liga 1 where scored 39-goals in three seasons. ADVERTISEMENT 'Kaizer Chiefs look poised to secure the signature of Flavio Silva, a Portuguese striker with roots in Guinea-Bissau,' a source revealed. 'Silva is a product of the Sporting CP youth academy, where he began his footballing journey. He is set to join Amakhosi from the Indonesian Premier League club Persebaya Surabaya, boasting an impressive scoring record. The 1.85m-tall striker made a striking debut in Southeast Asia in January 2023, netting five goals in a single match to lead Persik Kediri to a 5–2 victory over Persikabo 1973.' New signings on the way? Meanwhile, Kaizer Chiefs management Jessica Motaung has revealed what she can regarding the clubs ongoing transfer business, saying, 'Great to hear the players come back. I see they have maintained their fitness. That's what I love. I see they are focused and ready to come and face the challenges that they have,' said Motaung at the Village on Thursday. 'Certainly, we are working on the intakes for the new season and I know that the technical team, as well as the sporting department, is working closely to make sure that they are looking at different types of players and signing the players for the next season.' ADVERTISEMENT 'Hopefully, we will see some of those signings at the Toyota Cup and in the pre-season. But also, the window is open for a period of time, so we are not closed off and saying the signings we make now are fast and final,' she added. 'Certainly, there is a lot of work being done to make sure that we realise the vision, which is to continue ascending locally and on the African continent in terms of our rightful place and where we should be as Kaizer Chiefs.' Who should Kaizer Chiefs sign? Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The South African
2 hours ago
- The South African
Orlando Pirates news: Sipho Mbule and a special meeting
Sipho Mbule, a popular midfield maestro in Mzansi football, has joined Orlando Pirates for next season's Betway Premiership term. As a measure to manage Mbule's reported ill-discipline towards alcohol, Sundowns loaned the 27-year-old to Sekhukhune United before the start of last season. Three months before the end of his loan spell, Sekhukhune released the Bethlehem-born star for continued unprofessional behaviour. Sundowns decided against keeping the elegant midfielder. Soon, his agent, Mike Makaab, offered Mbule to Kaizer Chiefs but with no success. In came Orlando Pirates with the surprising announcement of the player known as 'Master Chef.' Orlando Pirates news: Biokineticist and Pogiso Makhoye Sipho Mbule during his loan spell at Sekhukhune United from Mamelodi Sundowns. Image: Sowetan According to the Bucs legend, Mbule should simply take full responsibility for his career. 'At 26 or 27, we shouldn't be assigning anyone to look after you. You are an established player, you're an adult,' Mabalane told Soccer Laduma . 'He's not a youngster that just came onto the scene. How much does he want it? He must look after himself…Full story here. Orlando Pirates: Special meeting for eight new players Orlando Pirates, a Leading Betway Premiership club, sealed eight new signings this week. The list includes Sipho Mbule, Yanela Mbuthuma, Masindi Nemtajela, Tshepang Moremi, Nkosikhona Ndaba, Sinoxolo Kwayiba, Tshepo Mashiloane, and Sihle Nduli. Meanwhile, the club facilitated a special meeting for the new Orlando Pirates footballers. Former club leaders Tebogo Moloi, Lucky Lekgwathi, Happy Jele, Edward Motale, and Innocent Maela made themselves available to address the newbies on what to expect at the mighty Orlando Pirates. 'We were inducting our new players to give them a proper understanding of what to expect,' club legend Moloi told KickOff . 'We emphasised that their lives, as well as those of their immediate family members, changed the moment they signed with the club… Full story here. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
TimesLIVE
4 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Captain Cummins backs youngster Konstas as Australia cruise to West Indies win
Captain Pat Cummins backed inexperienced opener Sam Konstas to deliver on the international stage despite the youngster's struggles against the West Indies as Australia won the first test in Bridgetown by 159 runs on Friday. The highly-rated 19-year-old was out for three runs as the Australians made a slow start to the first innings and scored five in his second spell at the crease, but Cummins threw his support behind the Sydney-born right-hander. "One of the hard things about playing test cricket is you get thrown different conditions all the time," said Cummins. "You might not have the flying hours under your belt as a youngster coming in, so you've got to come in and work out your craft on the bigger stage. "The hardest thing when the pitch is doing a lot is getting out of your little bubble, trying to score and take good options, which is really hard in these conditions. You saw today how hard it can be to fire a few shots. "Sammy tried a few different options yesterday, not too many worked out. But (I have) full confidence."
