Catherine McGregor: Australian cricket’s in good hands with the likes of Konstas
Cricket tragic Catherine McGregor sends her hearty congratulations to Australian selectors for rejuvenating the nation’s top order by putting Sam Konstas in the opening slot.
Opinion
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It is the season for three wise men to discover a star, we are told.
At least that’s the reason many of us are taking a break and observing the annual rituals of the Australian summer.
And as such, the Melbourne Cricket Ground becomes a shrine of sorts on Boxing Day each year. One of Australia’s great secular rituals is conducted here annually.
Though the use of the term “traditional” in conjunction with the Boxing Test match rings a little hollow to this Baby Boomer traditionalist who is old enough to remember Sheffield Shield fixtures on this date when Australian cricket tours took our Test players abroad.
And that was the case until the Packer Revolution.
If you thought the Gabba turned on rain, then spare a thought a for the scheduled Melbourne Test against England in December 1970.
The vaunted Boxing Day tradition had not been conceived at that time. The match was scheduled to commence towards the end of December.
Bill Lawry won the toss and offered Ray Illingworth’s tourists first use of the wicket.
But torrential rain intervened and the match was abandoned without a ball being bowled.
In a foretaste of cricket’s future, fans were treated to a one day international. Australia won. But were soundly defeated by Illingworth’s men in what ultimately became a Seven Test rubber.
But back to those three wise men.
Having already conceded my undistinguished credentials as a selector in my inaugural column I am obliged to congratulate the Australian selectors for opting to rejuvenate the Australian top order through the inclusion of Sam Konstas in the opening slot.
It gave me no joy to predict the demise of Nathan McSweeney.
But he didn’t look like a Test cricketer to me.
I would have revived the career of Matt Renshaw. But Konstas was electrifying.
There have been more imposing debuts: Greg Chappell scoring a century in his debut innings in Perth’s inaugural Test match remains the benchmark for me.
Ed Cowan performed well on debut at the MCG against India in 2011 scoring 68 against a less impressive Indian new ball attack. 60 off 65 balls was essentially a tantalising cameo.
But the brazen contempt the young debutant showed towards Australia’s nemesis Jasprit Bumrah was impressive.
It seemed to galvanise his more experienced partners, notably Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith, who were among the runs. Khawaja recovered a semblance of the timing and soft hands that always evoke David Gower in his prime.
Konstas seems to possess the temperament to excel at this level. He is a fascinating personification of the modern game.
His aggression and shot selection are a blend of formats.
Ramp shots in the first hour of a Test Match against Bumrah? Get outta here!
I had been a pessimist about the impact of white ball cricket on the traditional game.
But it appears that not only will they comfortably coexist. In Konstas all the virtues are complete.
Bill Lawry’s men in their traditional creams playing that one-day international in Melbourne in 1971 would not have been able to imagine the fireworks of the first hour in Melbourne yesterday.
Nor would they have imagined a Test captain dropping his shoulder into an opponent, as Kohli did to Konstas on Thursday.
Among the Indians there is a belief that they turned the other cheek to Australian aggression too meekly in the past. But Kohli needs to act like a Test captain. The tough guy antics were unworthy of the contest.
Ultimately Bumrah showed why he is regarded as the best paceman currently playing Test cricket. He hit back later in the day to leave the match fairly evenly poised.
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