Greg Chappell Takes a Dig at Australia for Leaving Out This Key Batsman
Australia has made its preparations for the Ashes as the first Test comes closer. For this, the team has made some shocking decisions, leaving out a few batsmen while giving opportunities to the others. Greg Chappell, a former Australian player, has criticised the decision to drop a key batsman.
Australia has made its preparations for the Ashes as the first Test comes closer. For this, the team has made some shocking decisions, leaving out a few batsmen while giving opportunities to the others. Greg Chappell, a former Australian player, has criticised the decision to drop a key batsman.
Fans are now waiting for the first Test of the Ashes, set to take place from 21 November. This will be a high-stakes encounter, as Australia heads to the game with several debutants in their line-up. But at the same time, the team has made a shocking decision by dropping
Despite the matches being in Australia, Konstas has been dropped from the side. In his place, Jake Weatherald has finally found his way to the team. This may have been a shocking move by the team, as Greg Chappell also spoke about the same. Recently, he talked about the possible opportunities missed by the team ahead of the first Test.
1. Greg Chappell on Australia's Squad
The squad for the first Test has been announced by Australia, with Steven Smith being the captain of the side. This squad had several names, such as Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne, Jake Weatherald, and many more. But it also had a lot of exclusions, such as Pat Cummins, who is expected to be back by the second Test, and Sam Konstas.
Greg Chappell , “The Australian selectors have taken a safety-first approach to the selection of the squad for the first Test of the Ashes in Perth. The make-up of the squad is not unexpected but I was hoping that they would be bolder and choose a team that would risk surprising the opposition and throw down the gauntlet for one of the most anticipated Ashes contests for many years.”
He further said, “I do have some sympathy for the selectors as this is not entirely a problem of their making. The traditional supply line of youngsters has been interrupted by professional cricket, meaning that players stay in the domestic system longer, playing for the states, who prioritise winning domestic competitions over producing Australian players.”
Chappell also how the Australia team could maintain its strength in the future. He said, “So here we are in Australian cricket. The oldest international team fielded in 90-plus years will take the field in a fortnight. Thirty-five may be the new 30, but I believe that unless a handful of under 25s are going to be debuting in the next six to 12 months, we are going to have a painful regeneration problem when Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland and Nathan Lyon leave.”
Sam Konstas has not been able to perform well in the Sheffield Shield lately. Moreover, he struggled to score runs against Scott Boland, who is a part of the Australian side in the Test series. This was also one of the concerns of the Selectors for the upcoming Test series against England.
Greg Chappell defended this by saying, “Domestic competitions don't produce Test-ready players; they only identify those with the skills to make it at the top level, so CA must prioritise giving the next generation as much international cricket at the Australia A level as possible to bridge the gap.”
2. Sam Konstas International Career
Sam Konstas made his debut a few months ago, during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25. With his debut coming against India, Konstas came in as a surprise package for the Australian team. He was able to take on bowlers such as Jasprit Bumrah in his very first game and ended up scoring a half-century
But the success received by Konstas was short-lived. He came in as a replacement for Nathan McSweeney, who was unable to score runs while opening for the team. And Konstas was only able to receive a good start to his career, not carry the start forward.
Due to this reason, his inconsistent performances grew even more in the series against the West Indies. Following this, he has now been dropped by the Australian team ahead of the Ashes. This comes as a big blow for the youngster, but he will be hoping to make his comeback to the team as soon as possible.
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