Pat Cummins has a simple message for Sam Konstas as the teenager wrestles with life at the top of Australia’s Test order: think in series, not in single knocks.
Konstas, 19, has returned 3, 5, 25 and 0 in the two Tests against West Indies after an encouraging 60 on debut against India last summer. His average of 18.25 after four caps hardly settles the opening question, yet Australia look content to give him another chance in next week’s day-night match at Sabina Park.
“I think for anyone who’s starting out their Test career, you are kind of picked for a reason and you at your best we know is good enough,” Cummins said. “It’s just about concentrating on what makes you a really good player. For someone like a batter, it might be where you score, what tempo do you normally operate at your best. And just don’t get too caught up in every innings [feeling] like the biggest thing in the world.
“I think the stat is, even the best batters in the world don’t hit their average three out of four times or something like that. You’re going to fail more often than you’re going to succeed. So just as long as you’re a quick learner, as long as you’re moving well… and judge yourself after a series or so, not innings by innings.”
Konstas’ dismissal in Grenada’s second innings came four balls into a tricky evening session, chopped on against Jayden Seales. Selectors will note the manner rather than the number: an error, yes, but hardly a collapse of technique. Another opportunity in Jamaica therefore feels fair, though an autumn of domestic cricket could still open the door for rival openers before the Ashes.
Pink-ball unknowns
The Kingston fixture is the first Test staged under lights at Sabina Park and the first in the Caribbean with a Dukes pink ball. Neither side has practised with it yet.
“We’ve been trying to get our hands on some [of the pink balls] but we haven’t got some yet. Hopefully they’re waiting for us in Jamaica,” Cummins said. “My experience in pink-ball [Tests] in Australia is you never quite know what you’re going to get. We’ve played a lot, but things can change really quickly so even when you feel like you’re on top things can change quite fast.”
The floodlights themselves still await final ICC sign-off, leaving ground staff on a tight timetable. There is quiet confidence the paperwork will be completed, though players may train only once under full match conditions.
Bowling group likely unchanged
Workloads have been light: West Indies lasted 57.2 and 68.4 overs in Barbados, then 64.3 and 54.1 in Grenada. That allows the quicks to roll straight into a third Test, with Mitchell Starc set to win his 100th cap.
“He’s bowling 145kph at the end of that game,” Cummins said, a reminder that Starc’s pace and stamina remain central to Australia’s plans. Josh Hazlewood’s control and Cummins’ own heavy-length approach balance the attack, while Nathan Lyon has found sharp turn late in each match. Scott Boland stays on standby but is unlikely to play unless Australia sense a pronounced seam-friendly surface and rotate.
Matt Renshaw waits in reserve as cover for Konstas yet has not opened in first-class cricket this season. Selectors continue to view his versatility as a plus; for the moment they prefer continuity.
Carey and Starc praised
Cummins also highlighted performances that have slipped beneath the radar. Alex Carey’s 86 in Bridgetown rescued a tottering first-innings, then Starc’s second-innings spell of 4-31 cracked open Grenada. “We know what Mitch can do with that older ball, he’s a real handful,” Cummins noted earlier in the tour, also calling the wicketkeeper “calm under pressure and prolific when it matters”. Those contributions allow Australia to carry a learning opener without panic.
Context for the southern summer
A drawn series or a continued form dip from Konstas would complicate Ashes planning, with Victoria’s Will Pucovski and Queensland’s Bryce Street among logical challengers. Conversely, one sizeable score in Jamaica could buy Konstas the entire home summer. Australia therefore balance two horizons: winning here and shaping June 2027.
For now the captain keeps the conversation simple: trust your method, ride the failures, and remember that even top-class openers miss out three times in four. That clarity, rather than any grand technical overhaul, is what Konstas must take into the Kingston lights.
