1 hour ago
7
Aussie cricketer Sam Konstas was the talk of the town when he made his debut in the 2024 Boxing Day Test, but less than a year later he has gone from hero to villain as a shocking performance saw him slammed on social media.
After a nightmare tour of the West Indies where he averaged just 8.33 with the bat, Konstas was overlooked for selection in Australia's Ashes squad last month.
He's since been taking part in state cricket games for NSW – and Konstas has now been ridiculed after fans saw him bowling in the Prime Minister's XI match against England on Sunday.
Konstas set viewers off with an awful waist-height full toss which was smashed to the boundary, and it didn't take long before the pile-on started online.
'Must be a lot of hard working cricketers missing out so this guy can get a run? Why?' one fan wrote.
'Defo not making ashes bowling like that,' another commented.
Sam Konstas (pictured) got to bowl for the Prime Minister's XI on Sunday - and it didn't take long for fans to take the mickey out of him
Konstas bowled just one over (pictured)
The 20-year-old (pictured with TV presenter Grace Hayden) has been under immense pressure since first arriving on Aussie selectors' radar last year
'Good to see the game being taken seriously lol', another added.
Another commenter said they mistook Konstas for former prime minister John Howard, whose awful attempt at bowling became part of Aussie sporting folklore when it was captured on video in 2005.
Other comments included 'great standard of cricket' and 'Is he trying to bowl now because he can't bat for s**t'.
However, other fans rushed to the opener's defence, accusing Cricket Australia of not giving him enough time to improve his game before rushing him into the spotlight.
'Cricket Australia is giving this kid the full Renshaw/Handscomb/Bancroft treatment. Is crushing the soul of promising young kids just something we need to do every few years?' one asked.
Konstas made his International cricket debut on the grandest stage last year when Australia took on India in the Boxing Day Test match.
He impressed straight away, with a rapid 62 runs in his first dig, playing with a fearless mindset to attack India's No.1 strike bowler Jasprit Bumrah.
But the opener soon found himself in a tough spot as he fell out of favour with selectors while struggling for form.
The 20-year-old Sydneysider has scored just 223 runs from 10 innings at Sheffield Shield level this year, with only one score of 50 or more.
The Aussie batter's debut innings in the Boxing Day Test against India (pictured) will be remembered for years to come
Konstas (pictured left celebrating with Australia captain Pat Cummins) looked like a star of the future as Australia won the Border Gavaskar Trophy last summer
The opener had a disastrous tour of the West Indies (pictured) and has been out of the Test team ever since
He now has a lot of work to do in order to get back in the frame for Aussie selection.
Konstas' bowling performance came as England lost just two wickets and chased down Australia's 309-run target.
England's openers both hit half-centuries against the pink ball, as did No.4 James Rew and No.5 Asa Tribe.
However, Jacob Bethell missed a chance to push for a spot in England's Test top order after the tourists' shocking failure in the second innings in Perth.
He only managed to make 16 runs before being dismissed.
