Does anyone want to open the test batting for Australia?
With at least one top order spot still very much up grabs ahead of the first Ashes test in Perth, two of the candidates to partner Usman Khawaja have failed to fire in round three of the Sheffield Shield.
Just a day after Tasmania’s Jake Weatherald was dismissed for a duck against Victoria, New South Wales opener Sam Konstas has fallen cheaply at the Gabba.
The talented 20-year-old departed for just 10 after big caught in two minds and leaving a ball that cannoned into the top of his middle stump off Bulls left-armer Hayden Kerr.
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It was the latest disappointing return for Konstas, adding further weight to comments from stand-in Australian captain Steve Smith last week that the young opener needs time to mature and develop his game.
“He’s obviously going through a bit of a period right now where he’s trying to figure out how he wants to play,” Smith said.
“You’ve got to let these young players figure it out for themselves and find the way that they want to play—ultimately you’re the one out in the middle playing. It’s your career.
With the first test against England beginning in just three weeks, the current round of Sheffield Shield matches is one of the last chances for players to push their case to the Australian selectors.
Given the inconsistent form of their main rivals, the seas of Ashes selection continue to part for Queensland’s red ball top order with test returns seeming increasingly likely for both Marnus Labuschagne and Matt Renshaw, who last wore the baggy green on Australia’s tour to India in 2023.
Sam Konstas was dismissed early after leaving one on middle stump 👀 #SheffieldShield pic.twitter.com/jxN0fcBWCK
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) October 29, 2025