Iconic former Test skipper Steve Waugh sees shades of himself in Sam Konstas. Here’s his advice for the axed young gun

Four hours prior to Australia’s squad for the first Ashes Test being named, Steve Waugh brought the MCC Waterford Crystal Ashes Trophy out from a helicopter and onto the SCG.

It’s where he honed his craft for NSW before becoming an elite Test cricketer, and where Sam Konstas will try to do the same in the next Sheffield Shield round.

Konstas goes into that match knowing he won’t be part of the first Ashes squad, dropped due to a bad run of form for Australia and NSW.

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It’s a tale that mirrors Waugh’s early career, with the now iconic former Test captain in and out of the side after making his debut as a prodigious young all-rounder.

The similarities aren’t lost on the former captain.

Steve Waugh delivers the MCC Waterford Crystal trophy to the SCG as part of the launch of the Ashes series. Getty

“I feel a bit sorry for Sam Konstas,” he said before the squad was named.

“He’s been in and out of the side a bit. He actually reminds me of myself when I first started playing for Australia, not really confident of being in the side, up and down … he’s probably lacking a bit of confidence.”

Waugh’s advice?

“Not to listen to everybody,” he said.

“Trust one or two people around you, go back to basics. At the end of the day, it’s really hard to learn how to play Test cricket while you’re playing Test cricket and that’s what happened to me for a couple of years. I wasn’t really that finished product.

“I’d go back to Shield cricket, try and build some long innings’, bat for as long as you can and just get to know your game really well, then you walk out playing for Australia, confident in that you know what you’re doing.

“I think right now he’s probably guessing how he should play, a lot of expectations so he’s probably not playing with a clear mind.”

Sam Konstas after he was dismissed in a recent Shield game.  Getty

Konstas’ predicament is part of a potentially wider issue facing Australia, with a changing of the guard imminent.

Usman Khawaja, Alex Carey, Mitchell Starc, Steve Smith, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland are all 34 years or older.

Smith right now looks like he could play until he’s 40 but time waits for no man.

Waugh believes chairman of selectors George Bailey will have to be brave with his calls.

“George Bailey’s going to have to make some tough calls,” he said.

“In the past he’s shown he hasn’t really had the appetite for that at times so he’s going to have to step up to the plate with the other selectors.

George Bailey. Getty

“It is a time of transition with bowlers in their 30s and batsmen getting on as well. But that’s natural for every team, you want to make sure that three or four players don’t go out at the same time, that leaves a big hole in the team.

“They’ve got to make sure this transition is not all at once.

“I’d like to see the selectors pick the side, not the players. There’s been a lot of players recently picking the side and saying who should be in the team.

“That’s the selectors’ job.”

Bailey has since responded to the comments from the Australian legend.

“Well, they [the players] weren’t in the selection meeting,” he said.

“We’re aware of the age profile of the team, I’m interested when people have that view – would they like us to leave Nathan Lyon or Mitchell Starc out?

Nathan Lyon. ICC via Getty Images

“There’s other ways of attacking that, we are investing heavily into Australia A cricket and we’re rolling some young guys through.

“There’s been some debuts and people on tours, but you have to have respect for these guys work incredibly hard to play Test cricket and we see it as still the pinnacle format.

“You’ve got to give due respect to the guys that are performing very well and they earned the right to be selected.

“I’m sure there would be more names on that list if the players were able to pick it.”

Waugh’s prediction before the squad was named was that Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne would be in the top three, with Cameron Green at six and Beau Webster to miss out.

“He’s going to be really unlucky if he’s missed out because I think he’s deserved his spot because he’s been great since he started,” he said.

“He has that extra element of being a really good slip catcher as well … I think the best fielding side will win the Ashes this year, so catching will be really important.”

Waugh also predicted the series will go to the SCG as the deciding Test match.

“I think it’s going to be one of the best Ashes series we’ve seen in a long, long time,” he said.