Teen Cricketer Sam Konstas Matches Ricky Ponting’s Feat with Two Centuries

Sam Konstas, a promising 19-year-old cricketer, has captured significant attention with his recent performances in the Sheffield Shield competition. After scoring a century of 152 runs for New South Wales (NSW) against South Australia on Tuesday, Konstas followed up with another century on Thursday, becoming the first teenager to achieve this feat in the Shield since Ricky Ponting did so 31 years ago. This remarkable performance has solidified his reputation as a rising talent expected to make a notable impact on the sport.

Konstas’s journey to cricketing success has been marked by numerous accomplishments from an early age. Having scored his first century for St George in the under-10s, Konstas went on to score four centuries in eight days while participating in lower-grade cricket in Sydney and the Green Shield under-16s competition. Earlier this year, he was part of Australia’s victorious campaign in the Under-19 World Cup held in South Africa, where he also scored a century.

Geoff Lawson, a selector for NSW, highlighted Konstas’s potential to become a significant figure in Australian cricket. “He’s now got an asterisk next to his name, there’s no doubt about that,” Lawson said. “The change is coming, and it’s nice to be a young man with some ability at the moment – both in batting and bowling. Sam’s definitely on that train ride.”

Konstas’s development has been shaped by mentors such as Tahmid Islam, his personal batting coach and former Bangladesh first-class cricketer, and Shane Watson, former Australian all-rounder. Islam noted Konstas’s dedication to mastering his skills. “His work ethic and how much he wanted it always stood out,” Islam mentioned. “I do a lot of technical work with him, and then Shane helps him through the mental side of his game.”

Anthony Clark, who has coached Konstas through the NSW pathway and the national under-19 team, commended Konstas’s love for cricket and his consistent scoring ability. “Between me and a couple of the other pathway coaches, we always look at it like ‘death, taxes and another Sam Konstas hundred’,” Clark stated, reflecting the young cricketer’s reliability in producing significant scores.

Clark recounted Konstas’s impressive handling of formidable bowler Billy Stanlake in a second XI game. “He made a 50 against him and a lot of the guys were saying how Billy was bowling fast, and when I asked Sam how it was, he just said ‘it was so much fun’,” Clark recalled.

The significant strides made by Konstas at such a young age suggest he could be a significant player for Australia in the years to come. As the nation seeks to transition into a new generation of cricket talent, Konstas’s reputation as a run-maker and cricket enthusiast makes him a strong candidate for future national selection.