Pat Cummins tells teen star Sam Konstas not to get caught up in failures after his West Indies flops

Things don’t get easier for Sam Konstas in the West Indies, with a tricky pink-ball Test looming, but the message for the battling teen star is clear from his captain.

Sam Konstas has struggled in the West Indies. Picture: Randy Brooks / AFP

Australian captain Pat Cummins has urged Sam Konstas to put failures out of his mind, adamant that at his best the teen opener is “good enough” to succeed but also conceding the upcoming challenge of a pink-ball Test in Jamaica looms as difficult for everyone.

The tourists wrapped up the series after the Australian bowlers skittled the West Indies for just 143 in the second Test in Grenada to register a 133-run win on the back of a man-of-the match performance from keeper Alex Carey and 3-24 from fast bowler Mitch Starc in his 99th match,

A 3-0 whitewash is on offer in the series decider in Jamaica, but Cummins conceded the move to a pink Dukes ball for the series closer created an atmosphere of “you never quite know what you’re going to get”.

There are also some lingering issues over the infrastructure at Sabina Park after the installation of new floodlights, with concerns one area of the ground is not sufficiently lit under the lights.

That could add extra spice to the contest, with Konstas in the spotlight after a second-innings duck in Grenada left him with just 33 runs from four innings having been reinstalled as Australia’s opener.

West Indies' Jayden Seales celebrates after bowling Australia’s Sam Konstas. Picture: AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan

Cummins said the message to the young star remained clear, however, and he’d been reminded he would fail more often than he would succeed.

“I think for anyone who’s starting out their Test career, you are picked for a reason and you know at his best, we know he’s good enough,” Cummins said.

“So I think it’s just about concentrating on what makes you a really good player. For someone like a batter, it might be, where your scoring areas are, kind of what tempo do you normally operate at your best, and just don’t get too caught in, you know, every innings feels like the biggest thing in the world.

“But I think the stat is, even the best batters in the world don’t hit their average three out of four times or something like that. You’re going to fail more often than you’re going to succeed.

“As long as you’re a quick learner, as long as you’re moving well and giving yourself the best chance, just keep kind of doubling down on that and judge yourself after a series or so, not innings by innings.”

Alex Carey has been on fire in the West Indies. Picture: AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan

Cummins hailed Carey, who is the second leading run scorer in the series, and said he’d become the type of player other teams would now fear.

“I mean, he’s about four or five years into his Test career. I think in the last year or so, it’s probably been his most prolific,” Cummins said.

“He looks really settled and any opposition that kind of has a No.7, it’s normally a keeper, but walks in and they’re kind of in good form, they can move the game quickly. They’re some of the scariest players and we’ve got Kez in our side that does that.

“He’s great, he’s keeping really well also but always seems to contribute.”