Relax, Australia: confected outrage about Sam Konstas hides the real issue | Barney Ronay

The energy expended on my ‘Ashes war of words’ would be better directed at the fight for the future of Test cricket

Australia: an apology. Earlier this week I wrote an article that compared one of that nation’s brightest sporting stars to a comedic figure with a short-lived pop celebrity lifespan, causing outrage among Australia’s media and elite cricketers. It was cheap, disrespectful and unfair. It is now time to make amends. Raygun, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I compared you to Sam Konstas.

Joke! Just a joke. It was all just a joke. In fact, it was a single line buried 1,400 words into a 1,700-word article about the future of Test cricket. Referring to the fevered public reaction to Konstas scoring an unorthodox half-century on his Test debut, I wrote: “There was a sense during the India series of Konstas being installed as a cricketing version of Raygun the Olympic breakdancer, a fun, gimmicky approximation of the real thing.”

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Saqib Mahmood belatedly given India visa to fly out with England squad

  • Bowler is of Pakistani heritage and faced long visa delay
  • Eight-match white-ball series begins next Wednesday

England will begin their intended white-ball reboot under Brendon McCullum with a full complement of fast bowlers after Saqib Mahmood was belatedly granted a visa to join the squad that departs on Friday evening for the tour of India.

Mahmood was forced to miss a training camp for the quicks in Abu Dhabi this past week after a delay in receiving the necessary paperwork for the eight-match white-ball series in India that starts on Wednesday. As well as the start of McCullum’s expanded role as head coach, it serves as a precursor to the Champions Trophy.

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