Star Australian batter Steve Smith has discussed Sam Konstas‘ bold and daring strokeplay in his brief Test career. The 35-year-old noted that Konstas has displayed both conventional and unorthodox styles, encouraging the 19-year-old to play the way he feels comfortable.
Konstas made his Test debut during the high-pressure Boxing Day match in Melbourne, scoring a rapid 60. His innings featured some daring shots against bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. However, the 19-year-old has found it challenging to replicate that consistency in subsequent innings.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Smith highlighted that Konstas possesses all the necessary skills to adapt to different situations, as quoted by Fox Cricket.
“As a batter, you can only learn by yourself, in a way. You play the way you want to play because it’s your career. From there, you learn along the way through experiences.”
”I’ve seen him bat like that and I’ve seen him bat more conventionally in a Shield game and do really well. He’s got all the tools and I think he has the ability when he wants to to absorb pressure, and he’s got the ability to put a lot of pressure back on (the bowlers).”
“I believe I’ve been batting well for some time now”- Steve Smith
Commenting on his fluctuating form, Smith mentioned that he had just been short of runs and expressed satisfaction in contributing a couple of centuries during the series against India. The veteran further added in the same conversation:
“I feel like I’ve been batting nicely for a while now. Even before I scored the hundreds, I said to you guys (the media) that I was batting nicely and hitting the ball well. I think there’s a real difference between out of form and out of runs, and I think I was out of runs. A couple of good scores was cool to contribute to the team’s success over the summer.”
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