Teen sensation Sam Konstas blasted a blistering half-century on debut, leading Australia to a dominant position on day one of the fourth Ashes Test.
India paceman Jasprit Bumrah struck to remove Usman Khawaja but Australia were well positioned on 176 for two at tea on Thursday following teen talent Sam Konstas ’s thrilling debut knock on a sweltering opening day of the fourth test. Khawaja ended a lean run with the bat with his first half-century in 12 innings, scoring 57 before pulling Bumrah straight to KL Rahul at midwicket as the temperature rose above 36 degrees Celsius (97F) at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Marnus Labuschagne was felled by a Mohammed Siraj delivery that cannoned into his groin but survived to be 44 not out at the break, with Steve Smith on 10. Led by 19-year-old debutant opener Konstas, who struck 60 off 65 balls, Australia’s top order rewarded their captain Pat Cummins after he won the toss and elected to bat. Konstas had a bumper crowd in the palm of his hand in the morning as he smashed Bumrah around the park and got under the visitors’ skin. He shrugged off a shoulder bump from an irked Virat Kohli at the end of the 10th over and a barrage of invective from paceman Mohammed Siraj during his swashbuckling knock. Trapped lbw by Ravindra Jadeja after the second drinks break, Konstas trudged off with huge cheers and the third quickest half-century (50 from 52 balls) by an Australian test debutant behind Adam Gilchrist and Ashton Agar. With 11 first class matches under his belt, Konstas replaced the dropped Nathan McSweeney and had promised to keep things simple with a “see ball hit ball” approach in his first test. Bumrah beat his bat four times in the first over before Konstas whipped two off his pads to get off the mark, triggering a roar from the crowd. India’s players sniggered when Konstas failed to put bat on ball with two botched ramp shots facing Bumrah but he wiped the smiles from their faces with a four, a six and another four with his next three efforts in the quick’s fourth ove
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