Aussie cricket great blasts decision to drop Sam Konstas from Sri Lanka series opener - as selectors open up on why the 19-year-old was omitted
Aussie cricket great blasts decision to drop Sam Konstas from Sri Lanka series opener - as selectors open up on why the 19-year-old was omitted
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Ricky Pointing has questioned why Australia's selectors opted to omit rising young star Sam Konstas from the side's opening Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. Australia got off to a great start in the first innings on Wednesday, with Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja both hammering their way to a pair of centuries to bring up a score of 330-2 at the close of play on Day One.
![[The cricket great claimed he did not like the decision and had expected the 19-year-old to open the batting]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/29/12/94633631-0-image-a-2_1738152272538.jpg)
Konstas, who had starred on his debut in last month's Boxing Day Test, had been dropped entirely from the side, with Baggy Greens bosses opting to move Travis Head up the order to open alongside Khawaja. Head would ultimately be dismissed by Prabath Jayasuriya after he was caught out by Dinesh Chandimal at long on for 57 runs.
![[Konstas enjoyed an excellent debut at the MCG during the Border Gavaskar Series, hitting 60 runs in his first innings]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/29/12/94633617-0-image-a-3_1738152275294.jpg)
Australia opted to make several changes to their line-up following their final match of the Border Gavaskar series, with Josh Inglis notably coming in for his Test debut. But Ponting believes it was a mistake to leave 19-year-old Konstas out of the team.
![[Konstas has been in the nets in Sri Lanka this week with selectors chosing to let him acclimatise to the conditions in the subcontinent rather than pick him to play in the first Test]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/29/12/94633611-0-image-a-4_1738152278521.jpg)
Ricky Ponting has questioned the decision to drop Sam Konstas from Australia's opening Test against Sri Lanka in Galle on Wednesday. The cricket great claimed he did not like the decision and had expected the 19-year-old to open the batting. Konstas enjoyed an excellent debut at the MCG during the Border Gavaskar Series, hitting 60 runs in his first innings.
'I don't like it, to be honest,' the former Baggy Greens captain told Channel 7 during the match. 'I just expected Konstas would play and would open the batting.'. During the summer series against India, Konstas stepped out to hit 60 at the MCG in the first innings of the Boxing Day Test, before going on to score 25 runs in Australia's victory at the SCG a week later.
![[Dodemaide claimed that Konstas had little experience in the subcontinent and Australia were keen to get this series off to a good start]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/29/12/94633663-0-image-a-6_1738152295371.jpg)
