A flamboyant Sam Konstas half-century has gone in vain for New South Wales, with Test royalty and an Australian spin prospect having the last laugh for Victoria in a Sheffield Shield epic on Friday.
The 20-year-old wunderkind burst out of the blocks at Junction Oval, as his Blues attempted to chase down a target of 255 in the fourth innings.
In shades of his Boxing Day Test debut last year, it didn’t take Konstas long to reverse ramp Scott Boland over the slips cordon for six just after lunch, leaving the Victorian fielders in complete disbelief.
Watch Aus v India ODI Series LIVE and ad-break free during play. Only on FOX CRICKET, available on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.
But as he so often has before, Boland had the final say to eventually take his 12th first-class five-wicket haul and skittle the NSW middle-and-lower order to see the Vics home by 38 runs.
With Pat Cummins unlikely to feature in the first Test due to a back injury, and Boland’s form will give Australian selectors an abundance of confidence, if they didn’t already have it, that he can fill the void.
Konstas reached his seventh first-class half-century before departing for 53 — inside edging a Todd Murphy ball back onto his stumps. The wicket was Murphy’s second in four balls, after dismissing Blake Nikitaras for 39 in his previous over.
The 24-year-old off-spinner struck again not long after to leave NSW reeling at 4/121 at tea, with Murphy finishing the match with the frugal figures of 3/17 off eight overs.
Wicketkeeper Matthew Gilkes was also somewhat controversially given out stumped off the bowling of Fergus O’Neill, adjudged to have lifted his foot at just the wrong moment — leaving sam Harper to quickly whip off the bails and his counterpart in total disbelief as he left the field.
Prodigy Ollie Davies top-scored for the Blues with a quick-fire 64 off 73 balls, before having his stumps castled by a seaming Boland delivery.
Konstas is now considered most unlikely to front up for the first Ashes Test in Perth next month, however with two more Shield matches to go between now and then, could still make a last-minute case to retain his spot at the top of the order.
A dashing 94 from Jake Weatherald for Tasmania yesterday against Western Australia on Day 2 of their low-scoring affair will go a long way to helping him make his international debut, while Marnus Labuschagne’s 159 against South Australia has now emphatically locked him into Australia’s top order this summer.
Veteran opener Usman Khawaja looks all but certain to retain his place opening the batting too, after a solid start to his red-ball season with scores of 69 and 46.
At the end of day three at the Adelaide Oval, South Australia led Queensland by 68 runs with five wickets in the sheds, with a Jason Sangha half century helping the reigning champions to claw their way back into the contest.
Sitting at 5-238, South Australia were responding to a mammoth 398 posted by the visitors after Labuschagne and Lachlan Hearne centuries.
Elsewhere, Tasmania are desperately close to securing a win over Western Australia, but equally the team from the west are not going down without a fight.
Western Australia need 44 runs going into the final day, with Corey Rocchiccioli facing 38 balls for eight runs to reach stumps alongside Joel Curtis (29 off 87).
Gabe Bell has been the pick of the bowlers for the Tigers, with impressive figures of 3/60 from his 24 overs.
