Sam Konstas salutes the crowd in Sheffield Shield match [Source: @NoContextCounty/X.com]
Sam Konstas, the young Australian prodigy, have bounced back from his early criticisms to score a century in the 17th match of the Sheffield Shield between New South Wales and Queensland. Sam Konstas racked a gritty 116 off 185 deliveries to shine for NSW after a sub-par performance for the PM’s XI match against England Lions during The Ashes warm-up match.
Sam Konstas was snubbed from the Ashes squad, given his woeful form in the Sheffield Shield and his lean patch in The Whites. However, the young aggressor has found a suitable answer for the selectors with a special ton on December 5, 2025.
Sam Konstas 116 marks grit after long lean patch
Sam Konstas opened for his team alongside Matthew Gilkes. Konstas played a valiant knock of 116 runs from 185 deliveries, which was laced with nine boundaries and one six. To help New South Wales get off the mark, Konstas played a superb role.
He built the foundation for the team and was resilient at the crease before he was brilliantly caught and bowled by Tom Whitney in the 65th over.
Notably, Konstas’ innings was a pure show of grit as, after his century, which came 14 months after his first, the 20-year-old removed his helmet and saluted the crowd and his teammates as a gesture of appreciation and support.
Sam Konstas’ innings was a solid, gritty knock that will be analysed by the selectors, given his woeful performance in the PM’s XI versus England XI clash, where he scored only 36 runs. While others like Campbell and Peake shone, Konstas’ innings was only a sore eye for the prodigy then.
Nevertheless, at the time of writing, New South Wales looks well in control. On Day 1 of the match, New South Wales put up a 250-plus score on the board as Gurinder Sandhu, Tom Straker, Tom Whitney, and Sam Geyer scalped one wicket each for Queensland.
