- July 15, 2025
There’s always something romantic about a teenage prodigy breaking into Test cricket — but not every story has a fairy dust beginning. For nineteen-year-old Sam Konstas, Australia’s newest opening risk, the magic has not arrived as of yet. His Caribbean tour was more like a nightmare than a dream: in six innings, he made just 50 runs and completed his tour with a duck under the lights in Jamaica. So now a new question looms: will Konstas open, or has that door been quietly closed for now for the Ashes later this year?
The Harsh Reality of Test Cricket: Sink or Swim?
First things first — Test cricket isn’t a developmental program. It’s ruthless, even more so if you’re barely out of your teens and facing hostile, moving deliveries under lights in the Caribbean. Konstas’ numbers — an average of 8.33 — don’t just look bad, they’re historically poor. Worse than David Warner’s infamous 2019 Ashes average. That stings.
But let’s be fair: the series wasn’t kind to any opener. The highest score by any opener across both teams? Just 47. Even Steven Smith looked all at sea against Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph, which tells you just how treacherous the conditions were.
Konstas’ technique, however, did look suspect. He was worked over on both sides of the bat — beaten by in-duckers in Barbados, edging in Grenada, and playing away from his body in Jamaica. There’s a debate brewing in Australian cricket circles: is it better to let Konstas figure this out in the cauldron of Test cricket, or let him rediscover his best game in the domestic grind?
The Domestic Lifeline: A Sheffield Shield Redemption?
Here’s the upside: the domestic calendar might just be Konstas’ golden ticket. With Sheffield Shield games scheduled at the WACA, Junction Oval, Gabba, and SCG, plus a possible Australia A tour to India, there are runs on offer — and in meaningful conditions. If Konstas can pile up three or four centuries before the Ashes squad is named, his case strengthens considerably.
Nevertheless, the competition is tough. Marcus Harris, Matt Renshaw, Cameron Bancroft — the usual suspects — are still in the mix. And there is Jake Weatherald, an uncapped bolter, with the sort of aggressive game that selectors love for Ashes skirmishes. There is even the suggestion that Marnus Labuschagne could make a bold move up the order.
A Long Career Still Beckons — But Not Everything Happens at Once
Let’s take a step back. Sam Konstas is 19. Nineteen! He has played only 20 first-class matches in his lifetime, five of those in Tests. But Australia’s need to find an opener after the retirement of David Warner may have added some urgency to the timeline.
Coach Andrew McDonald still believes in him, and so do teammates like Scott Boland, who’ve watched him grind through hundreds of practice balls. Konstas has time — perhaps not for this Ashes, but certainly for the long game. If anything, this tough series might be the making of him.
Sam Konstas will wear the Baggy Green again — of that, there’s little doubt. But whether that next chance arrives as soon as the Ashes this year? That’s a trickier bet. Much depends on how he responds in the Shield and Australia A matches over the next few months.
And who knows — maybe a setback at 19 is the perfect motivator. After all, some careers aren’t defined by their debut, but by the comeback.
What do you think — should Australia back their young gun early, or let him find his feet before thrusting him into another Ashes cauldron?
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