Former Test teenage debutant Ashton Agar urges public to ‘reserve judgement’ on Sam Konstas
Ed Cowan has kept a close watch on Sam Konstas since first spotting him four years ago, and explains why the ‘rare talent’ has the temperament to thrive in Test cricket.
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Ashton Agar – the most recent male teen debutant for Australia in Test cricket – has urged the public to temper expectations on Sam Konstas, with the nation’s latest boy wonder to receive his baggy green on Boxing Day at the MCG.
Agar, 31, etched his name into cricket folklore in 2013 when he made an astonishing 98 batting at No. 11 after bolting into the Aussie side for the Ashes opener at Trent Bridge before his 20th birthday.
Backing Konstas to thrive at the ‘G this week, Agar said he hoped fans would not rush to any judgments on the NSW opener, who only made his first-class debut late last year.
“I would just say, try and cast your mind back to when you were 19 yourself, with your life at that stage,” Agar told this masthead.
“The challenge that he’s about to face, it is huge. There’s no doubt about that. He’s facing the best bowler in the world at the moment (Jasprit Bumrah). It’s a huge Test series. It’s Boxing Day at the MCG and a lot of people are going to go and watch it. It’s far more than just entertainment. Having some understanding is going to be really important, reserving judgment and try and be proud that you’ve got a young kid representing you.”
Agar, who has been on the periphery of the Australian side across all three formats for much of the past decade, encouraged Konstas to lean on his family as he prepared to enter international cricket on the grandest of stages.
“You’ve made your family proud. They’re the ones that they’re proud of you no matter what happens. I think they help you manage your expectations a bit.
“I think your family have this really good way of helping you see what’s really important. I think they keep you in that moment which is, which is the most important part of Test cricket.”
While Australia’s first innings at Nottingham 11 years ago is best-remembered for Agar’s performance, he had the outstanding support of Phillip Hughes down the other end. Hughes finished unbeaten on 81 after a 163-run 10th wicket stand, with Agar pointing to Hughes’ on-field counsel as critical that day.
“He just said, ‘next ball, next ball, next ball,’ every ball. He came and told me that, and that allowed me to focus on what was really important. It was a really big lesson.”
Former Test opener Ed Cowan made his debut against India on Boxing Day 2011, making 68 first up.
On the board at Cricket NSW, Cowan has another connection with Konstas, with both men having attended Sydney’s Cranbrook School.
Cowan first laid eyes on Konstas four years ago, and likens him to Hughes in terms of temperament.
“I go down to watch, and see this kid smash it everywhere. And thought that’s pretty special, but let’s see how he goes against the men. And then he started playing against the men, and he started smashing them everywhere. And it’s like, ‘Oh, let’s see how he goes against the professionals’. Then he smashed them everywhere. But can he do it against international bowlers? ‘Oh, hang on a minute. Yes, he can.’
“And so in a very short space of three years, he’s gone from smashing school kids around the ground to smashing Test bowlers around the ground. So that takes both a rare talent, but I think the thing that stands out with Sam is how focused yet relaxed he is. (He) reminds me of Phil Hughes in that he loves batting, loves the game, knows how to score big runs, but still manages to have this relaxed demeanour that maintains his love for the game. It hasn’t overwhelmed him at any stage.”
Cowan also said he expected Konstas would silence any doubters.
“I’m just very excited to see what he can bring to the table. So there’ll be people who say he’s not ready, or he hasn’t put the numbers on the board,” Cowan said.
“And I think in many respects, he has of late, and age is just a number. He reminds me of the other great batsmen that have debuted early, be it Hughes or (Ricky) Ponting. They score big runs at every level they play at. And you know, I don’t expect Test cricket to be any different for him.”
Meanwhile Cowan, who on the ABC last month labelled the decision to pick Nathan McSweeney to open in Tests as “a guess,” said he had faith the discarded batter could return successfully down the order.
“I still think he’s got a huge Test career ahead of him. Still maintain my thought that’s more than likely not as an opening batter, but there’ll be plenty of opportunity in coming years in the middle order, and he looks like a player that could settle in there really nicely and do really well.”
Originally published as Former Test teenage debutant Ashton Agar urges public to ‘reserve judgement’ on Sam Konstas
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