“He might as well be back playing for New South Wales” - Former cricketer’s massive statement on Australian batter ahead of SL vs AUS 2025 2nd Test

Former Australia cricketer Ian Healy has joined growing calls that batting prodigy Sam Konstas should return home to play for New South Wales in domestic cricket. The remarks came as the 19-year-old failed to make it to Australia's playing XI for the second Test against Sri Lanka. He didn't play the first of the two-match series either.

Healy pointed out that Konstas didn't have enough first-class experience under his belt. The former player predicted that Australia would use the youngster as an opening batter in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 final against South Africa in June.

Ian Healy said (via sen.com.au):

“Now, if you're not going to play him, he might as well be back playing for New South Wales and getting more red ball practice is, because they're going to use him in the World Test Championship. He'll come back to be the opening batsman against South Africa, so he's got to get some red ball cricket under his belt.”

The 60-year-old continued:

"Australia will have the same team, and I like the idea (of sending Konstas home to play First Class). He’s had a week in Dubai, he’s had a week or more training in Sri Lanka, watching a Test match and being around the dressing room and seeing how blokes are approaching each session."

Konstas has played only 13 first-class matches. He made his debut against India in the Boxing Day Test in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25. The 19-year-old immediately made an impact, hitting 60 runs off 65 balls in the first innings by dominating ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who is touted by many as the best bowler of the modern era.

"He would get stuff out of it" - Ian Healy on importance of Sam Konstas spending time with Australian Cricket Team in Sri Lanka

Ian Healy further expressed optimism about Sam Konstas spending quality time with the Australian team in Sri Lanka. In the same interview, he said:

"He would get stuff out of it. Even just to see the grind of Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja how he went out again and approached it right from ball one on the fifth session that he'd batted, it’s those types of things. He would have listened to the strategies and participated in the strategies, so he would have learned."

The second Test between Sri Lanka and Australia will be played in Galle from Thursday, February 6. The tourists have already taken a 1-0 lead, winning the series opener by an innings and 242 runs at the same venue.