Sam Konstas: Are you on board with him?

[RightWingRoo]

The kid's game and seemingly his head are pretty scrambled at the moment. He needs to find a coach he trusts and rebuild his game from the ground up.

 

[revo333]

Graeme Smith couldn't drive through the covers...

Couldn't play a ramp shot either...

 

[sr36]

Graeme Smith couldn't drive through the covers...

Nor could Atherton.

 

[Black Diamond]

Ramps are premeditated.

Cover drives (all drive really) are not, and should be a natural stroke having built a solid technical foundation.

Konstas does not have that foundation.

One thing you’ll notice about players like Graeme Smith, he was mentally strong enough to get away with it for a while.

But like Sehwag and others who were not that sound, his career ended very badly and quickly.

 

[MisterMarcus]

It probably doesn't help him that there's still a pretty strong media jerkoff about him, even when he's in poor form and has basically failed since his first test innings.

There's been more than a few "He only made 20 but ThE RaMp WaS BaCk and it's so exciting, so he should still be in contention" comments. It's making the Michael Clarke lovefest look tame in comparison.

 

[RookiePick]

Ramps are premeditated.

Cover drives (all drive really) are not, and should be a natural stroke having built a solid technical foundation.

Konstas does not have that foundation.

One thing you’ll notice about players like Graeme Smith, he was mentally strong enough to get away with it for a while.

But like Sehwag and others who were not that sound, his career ended very badly and quickly.

Yep that Sehwag dude never amounted to anything in hindsight

 

[sr36]

Ramps are premeditated.

Cover drives (all drive really) are not, and should be a natural stroke having built a solid technical foundation.

Konstas does not have that foundation.

One thing you’ll notice about players like Graeme Smith, he was mentally strong enough to get away with it for a while.

But like Sehwag and others who were not that sound, his career ended very badly and quickly.

There's nothing wrong with ramping. It's just altering your batting stance to open up one particular shot. You can put yourself into a french cricket position where you can leave, defend or execute the ramp. I don't see why he'd shelve it.
Obviously it can't be his only shot or stance - he needs a game built around a conventional default stance - that game is what he has to deveop - the ramping is irrelvant to that.

 

[Black Diamond]

Yep that Sehwag dude never amounted to anything in hindsight

View attachment 2463900

Not the point. A vanishingly small number of players have had great careers with home-spun techniques. Sehwag is one of them. Obviously an all-time great.

The thing is those players’ careers typically end very badly when their eyes go.

Those of us on this forum who are technique pedants will obviously accept the weight of runs first and foremost. We just recognise runs follow good technique in almost all cases.

 

[sr36]

Not the point. A vanishingly small number of players have had great careers with home-spun techniques. Sehwag is one of them. Obviously an all-time great.

The thing is those players’ careers typically end very badly when their eyes go.

Those of us on this forum who are technique pedants will obviously accept the weight of runs first and foremost. We just recognise runs follow good technique in almost all cases.

Sehwag's technique was fine. Covered the stumps really well and got into great positions for onside shots and cuts. Didn't always get his foot across when driving outside off, but was always beautifully balanced for those shots.

 

[t_94]

Graeme Smith couldn't drive through the covers...

Alastair cook rarely did.

 

[Black Diamond]

There's nothing wrong with ramping. It's just altering your batting stance to open up one particular shot. You can put yourself into a french cricket position where you can leave, defend or execute the ramp. I don't see why he'd shelve it.
Obviously it can't be his only shot or stance - he needs a game built around a conventional default stance - that game is what he has to deveop - the ramping is irrelvant to that.

There is a huge problem with relying on premeditated shots as often as Konstas does. No player can succeed long term this way.

He dies this because he can’t bat properly at the top level. And he is not going to develop a good and reliable technique at his age.

 

[Ohitsthatguy]

He's just not ready.

 

[sr36]

There is a huge problem with relying on premeditated shots as often as Konstas does. No player can succeed long term this way.

He dies this because he can’t bat properly at the top level. And he is not going to develop a good and reliable technique at his age.

He's not ready. Very few are at his age. Scoop shots and cover drives aren't the issue though. It's playing straight ones in his normal stance.

 

[Kappa]

i think the best thing for Sam is for everyone to forget about him for 2 years and let him build his game in the shield.

 

[Linda Lovelace]

How such a personality cult developed around some random campaigner who looks like the result of John Waters f*cking a camel is beyond me.

Guy averages 16 in 5 tests and 31 at Shield level. Why is there any serious discussion about him until such time as he warrants it?

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

He was dismissed today, leaving a ball pitched just outside off and hitting middle. I have no idea why you're not playing that. He has a lot of work to do before we can entertain the idea of him playing Test cricket.

 

[RightWingRoo]

He was dismissed today, leaving a ball pitched just outside off and hitting middle. I have no idea why you're not playing that. He has a lot of work to do before we can entertain the idea of him playing Test cricket.

The kid's game and seemingly his head are pretty scrambled at the moment. He needs to find a coach he trusts and rebuild his game from the ground up.

It's know it's wanky to quote my own post. But I think what happened today proves my point, his brain is scrambled at the moment.

 

[Redline]

The kid's game and seemingly his head are pretty scrambled at the moment. He needs to find a coach he trusts and rebuild his game from the ground up.

Spot on, he got a test cap so obviously no regrets but it has come at a big price.

He just isn't ready.

 

[Xtreme]

Send him back to kanga cricket

 

[rdhopkins2]

His debut was exciting but could have easily have made 0. An absolute bag of mixed lollies. His upside is huge but his downside just makes you wonder sometimes.

 

[iDon]

Quite a few in here need to eat humble pie. Kid got lucky on his first test, but clearly he wasn't technically good enough to be there in the first place.

Genuinely think he will be away from the state level game in the next 12 months and scratch around at grade cricket for the rest of his career.

 

[jannissary]

i think his ball judgement and decision making is what's severely limiting his capabilities to perform his role properly. getting clean bowled after leaving a ball is a humbling experience, and i hope that it's that which motivates him to reassess his game plan, otherwise he'll continue being a walking wicket.

 

[Run n Spread]

Dropping him from the Sri Lankan tour has stuffed him mentally I reckon.
Needs a spell in grade cricket if anything for a refresh have some fun in the big bash then re energise for the second half of the shield year

 

[peternorth]

Potentially and expectedly the media attention has not assisted

 

[peternorth]

is in the westpac ad