In New Delhi, India, 19-year-old cricket star Sam Konstas dreams of becoming a player in all formats of the game. Even after missing two Tests against Sri Lanka, he remains determined. Sam made his debut in front of a full crowd at the MCG during the Boxing Day Test against India, scoring a brilliant 60 runs in his first innings, showing he has the talent to succeed.
Sam doesn’t want to limit himself to just Test matches; he wants to play in One Day Internationals (ODIs) and Twenty20 matches as well. He admires Travis Head, a top player, and learns from him about how to approach the game. “I want to test myself and become an all-format player one day,” Sam said.
In his first Test, Sam surprised everyone with his unique shot-making skills, even hitting a remarkable ramp shot against pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah, which turned out to be the first six in Test cricket after 4,000 days! Sam showcased many different shots in his second Test in Sydney, which got the selectors to consider him for the Sri Lanka tour. However, they decided to bring Travis Head to the top of the lineup instead.
Sam went home after the first Test but used the time to learn from experienced players like Steve Smith and Travis Head. He wants to improve his sweeps and reverse sweeps, which are important shots in cricket.
As he hopes to be selected for the World Test Championship final against South Africa, Sam remembers how he and his brothers used to pretend to be famous English bowlers while playing cricket in their backyard. “I remember playing the Ashes series with my brothers, pretending to be Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson,” he said. He looks forward to playing in that historic series one day.
Leave a Reply