Young opener Sam Konstas has been named in the 14-member Australia A squad that is scheduled to tour India in September to take part in two red-ball matches. Fellow opener Nathan McSweeney also made it to the squad in a bid to fight for a place in the Ashes squad.
The two red-ball matches between India A and Australia A will be played from September 16-19 and September 23-26 in Lucknow. During the tour, the Aussies will also feature in three one-dayers in Kanpur.
Konstas’ poor form with the bat continued in the recently concluded West Indies series, where the youngster wasn’t able to cross the score of 30 after a successful debut against India.
Australia chair of selectors George Bailey feels he is dealing with the situation well and hopes the Australia A series will help him regain his touch.
“After his return (from the West Indies), he has reflected on that (his performances), put a few things into his training, and has launched himself back into getting ready for India,” Bailey said.
Australia skipper Pat Cummins, however, continued to back Konstas, who Australia hopes can solve their top order hitch before the big Ashes series, which will also be Australia’s first home series in the new World Test Championship cycle. The Ashes will start with the first Test, beginning November 21.
Talking about the squad A selections, Bailey said that the team has been picked with a lens on the upcoming two to five years.
“We have got a Test tour to India in 2027 and we hope repeated experiences in these conditions will assist players in developing an effective method and understanding of their game for future sub-continent tours,” Bailey added.
“We are trying to strike that balance and trying to be upfront with the lot of players around that, depending on when and where they fit in the schedule, sometimes the design around them is slightly different.”
Jake Weatherald was not included in the squad after a good Australia A series against Sri Lanka, but remains in contention for an Ashes spot after piling on a mountain of runs in domestic cricket.
“He is doing a lot of things right, isn’t he? His performance in the Australia A series has been awesome. The clear focus for him is just to continue that and be consistent,” Bailey noted.
“A lot of selection is potentially being at the right place at the right time, and the easiest way to combat that is to be scoring runs consistently. If he starts the year as he did last year, he will be well in the mix (for The Ashes).”
Bailey reiterated that he is aware of the interest around The Ashes series and thinks it puts players in a really good position with expectations from both the public and themselves.
Earlier, former Australia captain and ICC Hall of Famer Ricky Ponting also wanted the team to be patient with Konstas while throwing in names of McSweeney and Jason Sangha, who he thinks would be in the selection radar for The Ashes.
Sangha has been named in the A squad, alongside pacers Xavier Bartlett and Lance Morris, who are both a part of the ODI series against South Africa.
Australia A squad: Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Jack Edwards, Aaron Hardie, Campbell Kellaway, Sam Konstas, Nathan McSweeney, Lance Morris, Todd Murphy, Fergus O’Neill, Oliver Peake, Josh Philippe, Corey Rocchiccioli, Liam Scott.