‘Still so young’: Hussey urges Sam Konstas to return to shield cricket – sportingnews.com

Grace Robbie
Sam Konstas became a household name after his spectacular Boxing Day Test debut against India, but Australian great Michael Hussey warns that early fame of this magnitude is not “sustainable” in the long run. 
Last summer, the Sutherland product made headlines, scoring centuries for NSW and earning a spot in the Test side as a teenager, where he notched a half-century on debut against India at the MCG. 
However, less than a year later, the 20-year-old is struggling for form and is battling for a spot in Australia’s upcoming Ashes squad, with selection looking increasingly unlikely.
The NSW prodigy’s season got off to a rocky start, scoring just 4 and 14 in the Sheffield Shield opener against Western Australia, before being dismissed for a duck against Victoria. 
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Although Konstas responded with a half-century in Victoria’s second innings, the red-hot form of Marnus Labuschagne and Jake Weatherald continues to put his Ashes selection in doubt.
Hussey believes Konstas should take a step back and focus on his long-term development in Sheffield Shield cricket, saying that at such a young age, it’s the best way for him to refine his skills and truly understand his own game.
“If I’m being honest I really feel for the young man,” Hussey said on Fox Cricket.
“Given the opportunity against India, played that amazing innings at the MCG that had us all gobsmacked. But we all knew that was not a sustainable way to be successful in Test match cricket.
“He’s obviously got enormous talent – but he’s still so young. He’s still trying to figure out what his best game looks like.
“Unfortunately for him, he started his Sheffield Shield season here in Perth on a very difficult pitch for batting. Not ideal to get a big score on the board.
“I personally would just love to see Sam go back to Shield cricket – stay there for a year, two years, score lots of runs for New South Wales, learn about his game and then when he’s picked he’s ready to go, and he’s got a lot of runs behind him and a better understanding of his own game.
“Just want to let this kid go and develop slowly and quietly.
“And then when he’s ready, bang! He’s going to go and burst on the scene and have a huge career hopefully for Australia.”
Grace Robbie is a contributing Wires Writer at The Sporting News based in Sydney, Australia.

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