One of the standout features of Sam Konstas when he made his debut against India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground last year is his ability to play with freedom and find areas to score to upset the rhythm of the bowlers of the captain. He did it against Jasprit Bumrah in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. In addition to that, he compliments Usman Khawaja, who takes his time in the initial overs. However, Konstas has struggled to put on a score in the West Indies. In the four innings he batted, he scored 3,5,25 and 0.
“I think for anyone who’s starting out their Test career, you are kind of picked for a reason and you at your best we know is good enough,” Cummins said. “It’s just about concentrating on what makes you a really good player. For someone like a batter, it might be where you score, what tempo do you normally operate at [when at] your best. And just don’t get too caught up in every innings [feeling] like [it’s] the biggest thing in the world,” said Cummins after the win.
“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. So just as long as you’re a quick learner, as long as you’re moving well… and judge yourself after a series or so, not innings by innings,” he added.
Speaking on Mitchell Starc’s 100th Test Cummins said: “He’s bowling 145kph at the end of that game,” Cummins said. “I can’t fathom playing 100 games and keeping that kind of speed. He’s just a warrior. Turns up every week and wants to play no matter what. Such a low fuss kind of guy. So all things going well it’ll be a great week for him.”
