Latest news with #SamKonstas
CNA
12 hours ago
- Sport
- CNA
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." Both Konstas and Cameron Green, at number three, struggled but the Australians were set up for victory by the batting performances of Travis Head, Beau Webster and Alex Carey. The West Indies were left to chase a target of 301 to win but, with Josh Hazlewood producing a bowling masterclass to claim five wickets for 43 runs, the hosts were dismissed for 141 as the match ended with two days remaining. "The wicket was playing a lot of tricks," said Cummins. "I thought we might make decent in-roads, but I didn't think we'd get 10. Always nice to get a couple of days off. "I thought those three (Head, Webster and Carey) were brilliant. They kept the scoreboard ticking over. They took really good options and they were always looking to score. That was the difference. "We turned up today thinking that we wouldn't get a big lead, it was 50-50 really and those guys took the game away from West Indies. I thought all three of those were really impressive."
The Star
12 hours ago
- Sport
- The Star
Cricket-Captain Cummins backs youngster Konstas as Australia cruise to West Indies win
Cricket - 2025 ICC World Test Championship Final - South Africa v Australia - Lord's Cricket Ground, London, Britain - June 14, 2025 Australia's Sam Konstas in action fielding Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers (Reuters) -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." Both Konstas and Cameron Green, at number three, struggled but the Australians were set up for victory by the batting performances of Travis Head, Beau Webster and Alex Carey. The West Indies were left to chase a target of 301 to win but, with Josh Hazlewood producing a bowling masterclass to claim five wickets for 43 runs, the hosts were dismissed for 141 as the match ended with two days remaining. "The wicket was playing a lot of tricks," said Cummins. "I thought we might make decent in-roads, but I didn't think we'd get 10. Always nice to get a couple of days off. "I thought those three (Head, Webster and Carey) were brilliant. They kept the scoreboard ticking over. They took really good options and they were always looking to score. That was the difference. "We turned up today thinking that we wouldn't get a big lead, it was 50-50 really and those guys took the game away from West Indies. I thought all three of those were really impressive."
Reuters
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Captain Cummins backs youngster Konstas as Australia cruise to West Indies win
June 28 (Reuters) - 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." Both Konstas and Cameron Green, at number three, struggled but the Australians were set up for victory by the batting performances of Travis Head, Beau Webster and Alex Carey. The West Indies were left to chase a target of 301 to win but, with Josh Hazlewood producing a bowling masterclass to claim five wickets for 43 runs, the hosts were dismissed for 141 as the match ended with two days remaining. "The wicket was playing a lot of tricks," said Cummins. "I thought we might make decent in-roads, but I didn't think we'd get 10. Always nice to get a couple of days off. "I thought those three (Head, Webster and Carey) were brilliant. They kept the scoreboard ticking over. They took really good options and they were always looking to score. That was the difference. "We turned up today thinking that we wouldn't get a big lead, it was 50-50 really and those guys took the game away from West Indies. I thought all three of those were really impressive."
The Age
a day ago
- Sport
- The Age
Thirty-eight balls of torture: Konstas is stuck in two minds
Barbados: Form in the cricket nets is a bit like investment advice: past performance is not necessarily a reliable indicator of future returns. But in the case of Sam Konstas, there was a moment on Sunday in Barbados that hinted the teenage sensation might not be in ideal touch ahead of the first Test against the West Indies. Part-timer Marnus Labuschagne found Konstas' outside edge with a medium pace outswinger at Australia's first net session since a surprise defeat to South Africa in the World Test Championship final. Were his feet not moving properly? Was his balance slightly off? Were his hands not in the right position? Who could blame Konstas? He hasn't played a first-class match in more than three months. He's played just four since the first week of January, averaging 22.63 from eight innings. Scores of three and five at Kensington Oval against a fired-up Shamar Joseph on Wednesday and Thursday rounded out a difficult week for the man touted as Australian cricket's next golden boy. This latest examination – 38 balls across a painstaking 53 minutes – was the antithesis of his fireworks at the MCG, when he ramped Jasprit Bumrah with a bravado not seen since David Warner belted Dale Steyn around the same ground on his T20 debut. Right now, Konstas looks caught between identities. He knows he can switch gears and take bowlers on, but he also wants to prove he can cut it as a classical opener.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Why Aussie cricket legend should regret using a one-word insult to attack rival star - even though it used to be a compliment down under
Aussie cricket legend Ian Healy is eating his words following his astonishing attack on West Indies paceman Shamar Joseph ahead of the first Test where he declared the quick 'isn't Curtly Ambrose' - then called him 'champ'. Speaking on SEN Radio, a fired-up Healy responded to Joseph warning Aussie Sam Konstas to 'look out' in Barbados. 'OK Shamar, well you've delivered crap all year,' Healy said on Tuesday. 'So he better improve, that's what I'm saying. 'You're not Curtly Ambrose, champ.' Joseph left Healy red-faced after snaring four wickets in the first innings, including the scalps of Konstas, Usman Khawaja, Cameron Green and all-rounder Beau Webster - then backing that up by clean-bowling Konstas in his second stint at the crease. The Guyanese star earlier described Aussie young gun Konstas as a 'stylish player'. As many Aussies will attest to, being labelled 'champ' is an insult these days - although it used to be a compliment. In a recent TikTok video, a staff member from the Manly NRL team playfully labelled a number of footy stars 'champ' at the end of a conversation to gauge their reaction. 'What do you mean?,' forward Jazz Tevaga demanded. 'Why are you calling me 'champ' for?' Others, including Ben Trbojevic, Tommy Talau and Lachlan Croker, also got their backs up after hearing the word. NRL players aren't the only ones objecting to its use, with American-born AFL star Mason Cox also noticing it in his line of work. 'You want to know the one word in the Australian language that will upset anyone?' he asked in TikTok video. 'The word starts with a C - you might think I've used it before, but the word is "champ".' Healy's attack came after Joseph said he admired the teenager's fearlessness at the crease during his Test debut last December at the MCG against India. Asked if he thought Konstas would produce his trademark ramp shots in the Caribbean, Joseph responded with: 'Well, that's up to him. I will do my part.' Joseph, 25, announced himself to the cricket world in stunning fashion last January. In just his second Test, Joseph finished with six wickets in an incredible 10-over spell as Australia failed to chase down 216 in Brisbane. He finished with figures of 7-68 as the visitors won by eight runs at the Gabba, in what was their first victory on Australian soil in 27 years.
