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Sam Konstas is set to become his country’s youngest men’s batting debutant in 71 years when he takes the field for Australia against India on Boxing Day.
The 19-year-old from New South Wales was called up to replace Nathan McSweeney after scoring just 72 runs in six innings in the first three Tests, with the series currently tied at 1-1.
And Australia coach Andrew McDonald said the team wanted to “give India a different challenge at this stage”, adding that they were “really confident Sam can do the job”.
“He’s calm, relaxed, knows his game is good right now, he’ll play Boxing Day,” McDonald said.
“We’re really excited for him, Boxing Day, the biggest stage. He might as well fix this problem sooner,” he added.
Kostas will be the youngest batting debutant since 1953, when Ian Craig – who would later become Australia’s youngest Test captain – appeared against South Africa.
But who is the youngster and what has his story been so far?
Konstas’ career so far
Konstas was born in Sydney in October 2005 and represents New South Wales. He is mentored by former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson and first played for his country at under-19 level when they toured England in July 2023.
He made his debut in first-class cricket against Tasmania in November 2023 in the 2023/24 Sheffield Shield season, and signed a professional T20 contract with the Sydney Thunder the following month.
Earlier this season he scored two first-class centuries against South Australia and is the youngest player to do so since Ricky Ponting in 1993.
He also made his full Bash debut earlier this month against the Adelaide Strikers, scoring the franchise’s fastest 50 in the competition off just 20 balls.
He was initially selected for Australia A’s matches against India, but was called up after Nathan McSweeney struggled in the first two Tests for the first-class team.
What can fans expect from Konstas?
Konstas will open for Australia in place of McSweeney, and he will likely partner Usman Khawaja.
In Australia A matches, Konstas scored 107 off 97 in the first two Tests, including a 73 not out in the unofficial second Test.
In October this year, he scored 152 runs from 241 deliveries in a match against South Australia in the Sheffield Shield.
In the 2023/24 season, he scored 155 runs in four matches, although this season he has scored 471 runs in five matches and eight innings, at an average of 58.87.
