Brad Haddin on Sam Konstas’ dropping: ‘If he’s not going to be needed, send him back home to bat’

The middle-order batsman is erstwhile again slotted to play successful the 2nd Test starting Thursday.

“We’ve got to retrieve helium (Konstas) is 19, truthful if they’re not utilizing him for the 2nd Test I would nonstop him location to play authorities cricket. He hasn’t played a batch [of first-class cricket] and the much helium plays the better. He would’ve had a bully mates of weeks implicit determination [in Sri Lanka] learning. If he’s not going to beryllium needed, nonstop him backmost location to bat,” Haddin told Australian media.

Konstas had deed his maiden Test 50 during his maiden Test innings during the Melbourne Test. The innings besides saw him hitting Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah for 18 runs successful an over. The 19-year-old had scores of 8, 23 and 23 successful the adjacent 3 innings earlier being picked up successful the Australian squad for the Sri Lanka tour. With the Australian selectors showing religion successful Usman Khawaja and Head arsenic openers astatine Galle and Josh Inglis successful the middle-order, Konstas missed retired connected a spot successful the squad astatine Galle. Konstas, who plays for NSW, has truthful acold played successful 13 First Class matches amassing 813 runs and Haddin believes that the youngster should beryllium disposable for NSW successful their Sheffield Field lucifer against Queensland successful Brisbane starting Saturday, 2 days aft the 2nd Test begins.

“I deliberation he’s been near retired of the broadside due to the fact that Australia had a program a agelong clip agone of however they wanted to play successful Sri Lanka. We’ve seen however good Travis Head and Uzzie (Khawaja) played astatine the apical of the order. I deliberation helium (Konstas) volition travel consecutive backmost successful for the Test Championship (final),” said Haddin.

Australian skipper Steve Smith had shown his religion successful Konstas abilities. Smith, who deed his 35th Test 100 past week, spoke astir his earlier days successful Test cricket portion speaking astir Konstas.”He’s going to person a batch of signifier implicit present if helium doesn’t play, which successful itself is large for development. I lone person to deliberation backmost to 2013, I think, wherever I didn’t play the archetypal fewer Tests (in India) and conscionable the magnitude of balls I was hitting successful the nets and the skills I was capable to make from facing loads of nett bowlers. So whether helium plays oregon not, it’ll beryllium a fantastic acquisition for him,” Smith had said past week.