David Warner steps in to defend Sam Konstas from UK media’s ‘Raygun’ comparison

David Warner has done what he does best and has launched a missile at the UK after a brutal meme about Sam Konstas picked up speed.

David Warner has come out swinging in defence of Sam Konstas, urging the young Aussie to brush off the jabs from the UK press ahead of next summer’s Ashes.

British journalist Barney Ronay took a swipe at the 19-year-old that reverberated across the globe, comparing him to the infamous Olympic breakdancer Raygun, whose performance last year went viral for all the wrong reasons.

Konstas burst onto the scene with a fiery 60 on Test debut against India and has been a lightning rod for opinions amongst the cricket world.

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Some believe he’s the next big thing, a once-in-a-generation talent with the swagger and shot-making to match.

Others, including Ronay, argue he’s nothing more than a gimmick, a slogger who won’t survive at the highest level.

In his column for The Guardian, Ronay questioned whether Konstas had already made his “highest Test score,” calling the Aussie’s rise a “spunky, mulletted” spectacle.

But Warner, never one to shy away from a good scrap – especially with the British press – was having none of it.

“Thankfully news doesn’t travel from that side of the world to Australia, unless you read the Daily Mail,” Warner said via the Sydney Morning Herald.

“At the end of the day, it makes you perform better. You know they want you to fail, but by you performing, it shuts them up.”

‘You know they want you to fail, but by you performing, it shuts them up.’ (Photo by Jeremy Ng/Getty Images)

Warner is no stranger to the vitriol of the English press himself and says he’s looking forward to taking a few cheeky digs of his own from the commentary box.

“I can’t wait for the Barmy Army to actually come out next year,” he added. “It’d be exciting for him to be a part of that, permitting form.”

Konstas, meanwhile, is taking it all in his stride.

“I’m just loving life, just trying to be in the moment,” he said. “I don’t get too fazed by what other people say. Obviously, they’ve got their opinions, but I’m just trying to be me and just be authentic.”

Sam Konstas has already won over his teammates in the Test side after dropping a nuke on the India series. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

But there’s still some learning to do before the Ashes next summer. (Photo by Saeed KHAN / AFP)

He’s already won over his teammates in the Test side after dropping a nuke on the India series.

“His 60 at the MCG got the ball rolling,” Marnus Labuschagne said. “The impact he had on the series was definitely valuable.”

The stage is now set for Konstas to make a real mark on the upcoming Ashes, with Warner, Cummins, and Labuschagne all backing him to deliver.

“Hopefully if I do get an opportunity, I’ll take it with both hands,” he said.

Originally published as David Warner steps in to defend Sam Konstas from UK media’s ‘Raygun’ comparison