Former Test captain Ricky Ponting has predicted that Australia won’t make any changes to its top order ahead of next summer’s Ashes series, calling for the national selectors to “stick with” struggling opener Sam Konstas.
The teenager earned a recall for the recent Frank Worrell Trophy campaign against the West Indies but contributed 50 runs at 8.33 across the three Tests in a disappointing return.
Since his unforgettable Boxing Day half-century at the MCG, Konstas has posted scores of 8, 23, 22, 3, 5, 25, 0, 17 and 0 in the Test arena, with his batting average slipping to 16.30.
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Speaking to reporters after Australia’s 3-0 series whitewash, national coach Andrew McDonald suggested that Konstas would need to “put some scores on the board” in the Sheffield Shield for a maiden Ashes call-up.
Speaking on The ICC ReviewPonting acknowledged that Konstas had been dropped for the high-scoring Sri Lanka series and thrown in the deep end for the challenging West Indies tour, where Australia was bowled out for less than 250 on four occasions.
“The Australians tried to protect him from what they thought was going to be a really difficult tour of Sri Lanka,” Ponting explained.
“They left him out there hoping to bring him in in the Caribbean where things might have been a little bit easier. Well, it’s been the exact opposite of that.
“As it turned out, the attack and the wickets in Sri Lanka were good batting wickets and a really poor attack. And the wickets that we’ve got in the Caribbean have been hard for everybody to bat on. I look at that last result where the West Indies have been bowled out for 27.
“That’s just not down to high-quality bowling. That’s down to the surface and the ball and all sorts of things.”
Konstas BOWLED for 0 in 1st over | 00:36
During the West Indies tour, Konstas tinkered with his batting stance to combat an apparent weakness to inswinging deliveries, but Ponting backed the New South Welshman to iron out the technical “deficiencies”.
“Sam’s always going to have, like every batter that is finding their way at international level, people sit back and try to pick holes in your technique when you’re trying to find your own way at international level,” Ponting said.
“He’s always been someone that’s been talked about potentially having an issue with (the ball) coming back in, particularly on the front foot, and we saw in the Caribbean a couple of instances there of LBWs and chop-ons, but we also saw the other side of it where when he tries to correct that and probably stay a little bit more leg-side of the ball. That’s when the outside edge of the bat comes into play and he nicked a couple as well like he did in the second innings of that first Test match.
“I’m not going to make any really harsh judgment calls on Sam yet because it was hard work for every batter in that series, there’s no doubt about it.
“They have to stick with him for a period of time and help him work through these deficiencies that he might have or might not have.
“If we get him back onto some flatter wickets at the start of the Australian summer and some Sheffield Shield matches under his belt, maybe he’s got a great chance there to get some confidence back and get some runs under his belt. I’ll back him in.”
Ponting, who made his Test debut aged 20, knows how challenging it can be for young cricket prodigies to find their way in the national set-up.
“The unfortunate thing about Test cricket and when you’re a young bloke trying to find your feet is quite often you have to work it out for yourself,” Ponting continued.
“You can practice as much as you want, you can do things in the nets as much as you want, you can seek as much advice as you want, but you’ve got to find a method and something that works for you out in the middle.
“Now that might be technique-wise, it might be the way you approach it, it might be the mental side of your game, but there’s no greater experience than being out there and doing it.
“It’s trial and error until you actually find the exact right remedy that works for you and the only way you can do that is by being out in the middle.”
TWO DROPPED CATCHES gives Konstas life | 00:33
Opener Usman Khawaja and new No. 3 Cameron Green also struggled to convert starts into substantial scores during the World Test Championship final and West Indies tour, but Ponting predicted the duo would keep their spot in the starting XI for November’s Ashes opener in Perth.
However, the Tasmanian icon identified several domestic batters that will have an opportunity to press their case for an Ashes call-up in the first few rounds of the Sheffield Shield.
“Nathan McSweeney, who started the Australian summer against India last year, he’s made some runs in one of those (Sri Lanka A) games. Matt Renshaw has made a lot of runs in the white-ball format as well in those games,” Ponting said.
“I don’t think there’s going to be anyone else outside of the names that we’ve heard for the last couple of years that will be spoken about again. McSweeney is the obvious one to go back to sooner rather than later.
“The start of the Sheffield Shield season will be an interesting one for some of those names that I’ve mentioned there, and I’ll throw another name in that I think is a highly talented Australian batsman, that’s Jason Sangha.
“I think he’s someone whose name will probably come up at some stage as well, but there’s just not many games now, not many opportunities to be able to get yourself and get your name up in front of the selectors.”