Konstas aims to excel as Australia's next all-format cricket star
What's the story
Australia's next big thing Sam Konstas has revealed his desire to become an all-format player.
The announcement comes after he was left out of two Tests against Sri Lanka on their home soil.
Although he is new to the international stage at just 19, Konstas has already made a mark with his debut in the Boxing Day Test against India.
Here's more.
Debut performance
Konstas's impressive debut and future aspirations
Making his debut in front of a packed MCG crowd, Konstas scored an impressive 60 runs in the first innings.
His performance sparked speculation about him being Australia's next cricket sensation.
Despite being new to the international arena, he isn't satisfied with just excelling in red-ball cricket and hopes to prove himself in white-ball cricket too.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Konstas said, "I want to test myself and become an all-format player one day."
Words
Konstas praises the impact of Travis Head
Konstas highlighted the impact of star Aussie opener, Travis Head. He called Head a legend and wants to build on the learnings from these players.
"Travis Head is a legend of the game, just the way he goes about it is pretty simple, and he takes on the bowlers. I'm very lucky at my age to learn from these guys, and hopefully, I can build on that," Konstas said.
Statement
Konstas addressed axing with composed and classy statement
Recently, Konstas opened up on his early exit from the second Test in Galle, Sri Lanka.
Despite his omission, Konstas was grateful for being in the squad and stated, "I felt like I was privileged to be in the squad and learn from the best players like Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja," he told CODE Sports.
Head had replaced Konstas as an opener alongside Khawaja.
Words
Konstas viewed omission as a learning opportunity
Konstas, however, sees his exclusion from the squad as a great learning experience.
"I understood the reasons why. For me, it is just a great learning curve and if I do get another opportunity with the Test team I will grab it with both hands," he said.
He also admitted Head's mastery, saying, "I understand why Travis Head opened the batting because he is a legend of the game and he has been dominating."
Numbers
Sam Konstas's FC stats at a glance
Across 13 First-cClass cricket matches (22 innings), the young batter has amassed 831 runs. He also owns an average of 39.57, alongside his two tons and four fifties.
Additionally, his highest score reads 152. Notably, 113 of his FC runs and one fifty have come for Australia in Tests.
As mentioned, he also smashed a fifty in his debut innings against India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, becoming the second-youngest to score a Test fifty for Australia.