Follow UsOne of the most notable omissions from Australia's Ashes squad was that of opening batter Sam Konstas. The youngster made an instant impact on his debut, but has since faded away, averaging just over 16 in 10 innings. Moreover, he had a torrid time in the West Indies, where he scored 3, 5, 25, 0, 17 and 0 in the three matches there.
Since then, he has slammed a hundred against India A and has also scored a fifty in four Sheffield Shield innings for New South Wales.
However, those did not prove to be good enough for Konstas to hang on to his place. However, chief selector George Bailey has not closed the door on the 20-year-old. He feels there is a way back for Konstas into the team if he scores plenty of runs and bats for long in the Sheffield Shield.
"I feel for Sammy. I feel like at the moment if he farts, it's a headline. We really like him...we like the skill set there, [we're] confident that over the long run it'll continue to build out," Bailey said.
"It's not going to be linear – no one's passage through their career is linear. But the message is just to keep it simple, and score runs and bat for as long and as helpful a way as you can for New South Wales."
Konstas may not have been picked for the first Ashes Test in Perth, starting on November 21, but could still force his way back for the remaining matches if he finds his feet at the right time.