- Sam Konstas has entertained, dazzled and impressed over the past two weeks
- The Aussie star had a great start to Test cricket life in the Melbourne Test
- At the age of 19, Konstas also clashed with cricket king Virat Kohli
Sam Konstas’ whirlwind fortnight saw the Australian teenager clash with cricketing royalty, take on Jasprit Bumrah and even appear at a Prime Minister’s reception in a pair of Adidas sambas.
The 19-year-old is one of the biggest talking points in the cricket world at the moment, both for his excellence with bat in hand and for his affable personality.
From now on, things will only change for Konstas. One big change that could come soon could involve his player contract and status in the squad.
Should the 18-year-old Aussie star play against Sri Lanka in one of Australia’s upcoming Tests at the end of this month, Konstas said he will The Daily Telegraphearned himself a $225,000 bonus.
By playing a third Test, Konstas would earn a central contract from Cricket Australia, which could be worth around $346,641.
The new deal would also see the 19-year-old get back the difference between his new contract and his current deal in New South Wales.
The Australian opening batsman has amazed fans with his skill and confidence.
Australian batting sensation Sam Konstas could expect a big pay rise if he is picked to play in this month’s tour of Sri Lanka
Notably, Konstas (left) collided with Jasprit Bumrah (right) during the Sydney Test match
He was also seen challenging Virat Kohli during the Boxing Day Test after the ex-India captain bumped him on the shoulder
He walked out on his debut in front of a crowd of 100,000 fans at the MCG before hitting 60 runs off 65 balls, hitting two sixes and six fours.
While he struggled to score in the Sydney Test last week, amassing a total of 45 runs, Konstas was also involved in a war of words with Jasprit Bumrah.
The Indian pace bowler appeared to berate Usman Khawaja for not finishing quick enough, with Konstas coming to his batting partner’s rescue. He and Bumrah exchanged fiery words before moving on.
When Khawaja was later dismissed by Bumrah on the last ball of the first day, Konstas was attacked by several Indian players, who Andrew McDonald labeled as ‘intimidating’.
His words were met with a fierce rebuttal from Gautam Gambhir, who claimed that Konstas ‘can’t be that soft’.
‘It’s a tough sport, played by tough men; You can’t be that soft,” he added before saying he didn’t think there was anything intimidating about the flashpoint.
Despite this, Pat Cummins has defended the teen stunner.
The Australian captain said of Konstas: “I believe people confuse a bit of self-confidence with bullying or abuse.
Konstas (pictured) was praised by his captain Pat Cummins, who claimed the 19-year-old had ‘been very good in this series’
“You get to walk around with your shoulders back and play a few cricket shots.
“I don’t think that’s illegal, but some people really take offense to that and want to kind of put it back in its place.”
“We say the same thing to all our players: bring yourself every day and be yourself. Figure out how you think it best represents yourself and how you want to play.
‘I think he has been very good this series. He stood up for himself when he needed to.”
Australia will now start renewing its central contracts in March.
It would be bizarre not to see Konstas’ name on that list, given his whirlwind fortnight.
Cummins, meanwhile, appears to have ruled himself out of the series as he and his partner are expecting their second child.
He will be succeeded by Steve Smith, who will oversee the captaincy duties as the team travels to Sri Lanka.