Latest episode of Konstas show dazzles and divides

There are few Sheffield Shield opening batters that can grab Australian cricket’s undivided attention in the space of seven balls. The latest episode of the Sam Konstas show did just that on Tuesday morning.

On Boxing Day, the teenager needed a full over of Jasprit Bumrah beating his outside edge at will to switch from watchful defence into kamikaze mode. Against Scott Boland on a first-day SCG pitch Victoria coach Chris Rogers described as "quite green", it took just one false shot.

Facing the first ball of the Shield encounter after his NSW captain Jack Edwards elected to bat first, Konstas got a leading edge off a seaming delivery from Boland, the Test quick who took 10 wickets against India on the same patch of turf six weeks ago.

With Konstas determined not to be a sitting duck, the ensuing passage of play was as electrifying as his Test entrance – only more short-lived and in front of fewer people.

The 19-year-old reverse-ramped Boland's second ball over the cordon for four, charged at his third for another boundary through mid-off, missed another reverse-ramp, before seeing off two dots to finish the over.

After his opening partner Nic Maddinson pounded 20 off Fergus O'Neill's opening set from the other end, NSW were 0-30 after two overs.

Sizing up Boland once again, Konstas attempted to replicate Maddinson's pursuit of the short square boundary on the Ladies Stand side. He got down on one knee, missed a sweep-shot and had his leg-stump disturbed. He was out for 10.

"I missed the first over and I heard Sam had reverse-ramped 'Barrel' (Boland) second ball, so that was a bit interesting," Ollie Davies said at stumps on day one.

"But I think both Maddo and Sammy at the start of the game made a pact to play pretty aggressively – I just didn't know how aggressive.

"I knew Maddo was going to go after Fergus O'Neill ... I'm not sure what Sammy was doing, I didn't speak to Sammy about his plan before (the match).

"If he thinks that's the best way he can score runs, I'll back him in 100 per cent. He has shown it before at Test level and Shield level that he can score big runs."

The dismissal, and the innings in full, will prove divisive. Traditionalists will voice their disapproval; others will suggest you have to take the rough with the smooth given how widely lauded his brilliant – but risk-laden – takedown of the previously untouchable Bumrah was during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.

And it comes as the right-hander pushes his case to win his national spot back for June's World Test Championship final after gracefully handling his omission for the two Tests in Sri Lanka, a tactical shift that proved sound in Australia's 2-0 sweep.

Former NSW coach and ex-Test opener Phil Jaques plainly insisted he does not think Konstas can become a consistent Test batter playing the way he did on Tuesday.

"It was unexplainable really. I don't know what was going on," Jaques said on commentary for the live stream.

"I think it (the reverse ramp) is a shot he practices a lot and he plays it pretty well in short-form cricket. He's seen a bit of a window and an opportunity (in red-ball cricket) to take a bowler off his length and make a field change.

"But you're seeing him play it all the time now and he's getting out doing it, and losing that consistency of run-scoring ... this kid makes hundreds and historically he hasn't made them by scooping and slogging.

"It's almost like he's been a bit caught up in it all."

Konstas' approach to his craft has undoubtedly shifted since the start of the summer.

In October, Konstas posted 152 (from 241 balls) and 102 (from 225) in his two innings of his fifth first-class match, against South Australia at NSW's out-ground, Cricket Central. It was a haul that put him on the national radar.

He batted for more than 10 hours in that match, defending or leaving close to half the deliveries he faced (42 per cent). He played no reverse ramps. Veteran Blues coach Greg Shipperd noted not long after that Konstas' "skill level" and "poise at the crease" bore similarities to a young Ricky Ponting.

Already at that point, Konstas possessed the tricks of short-form cricket – he gave a reminder of those when he posted his maiden one-day hundred last week, in only his second List A match – but largely saved them for those formats.

He may argue his approach in his second post-Test axing Shield match was dictated by the prevailing conditions and opposition; against Boland, whose 40 first-class wickets at the SCG have come at just 15, a ball with his name on it might have been inevitable.

Sheffield Shield standings 2024-25

Team	Matches played M	Wins W	Losses L	Drawn D	No results N/R	Deductions Ded.	Batting Bonus Bat	Bowling Bonus Bowl	Total points PTS
1 South Australia Men SA	10	6	1	3	0	0	7.61	9	55.61
2 Queensland Bulls QLD	10	3	3	4	0	0	9.06	8.7	39.76
3 Victoria Men VIC	10	4	5	1	0	0	5.19	9.3	39.49
4 NSW Men NSW	10	3	4	3	0	0	6.99	8.4	36.39
5 Tasmanian Tigers Men TAS	10	3	5	2	0	0	7.72	8.2	35.92
6 Western Australia Men WA	10	3	4	3	0	0	5.83	8.6	35.43

Legend

M: Matches played

W: Wins

L: Losses

D: Drawn

N/R: No results

Ded.: Deductions

Bat: Batting Bonus

Bowl: Bowling Bonus

PTS: Total points