“At the moment if he farts, it's a headline” - George Bailey reacts to Sam Konstas' Ashes exclusion

Australia revealed their 15-man team for the opening Ashes Test against England on Wednesday, 16 days before the Ashes 2025–26. In the absence of the injured captain Pat Cummins, who will travel with the team and boost his bowling workload, Steve Smith will captain the team, as was previously established.

After being left out of the West Indies tour squad a few months ago, Marnus Labuschagne's incredible domestic cricket form, he has scored five hundreds in his last eight innings for Queensland in both first-class and List-A competitions, made a recall to the setup inevitable.

However, whether he opens or bats at No. 3 will probably depend on whether Australia is comfortable using Cameron Green as an all-rounder or if they need both Green and Beau Webster in the starting lineup. Additionally, Tasmania's 31-year-old opener Jake Weatherald has replaced the 20-year-old youthful opener Sam Konstas in the setup.

After failing to regularly score in the opportunities he was given at the international level, Sam Konstas was left out. But according to chief selector George Bailey, he is still one of Australia's most promising young players and would be considered.

George Bailey expressed sympathy for Sam Konstas during the squad announcement. He noted that even if the young man farts, it makes headlines because he has been under a lot of strain from the media.

"I feel for Sammy. I feel like at the moment if he farts, it's a headline. We really like him...we like the skill set there, (we're) confident that over the long run it'll continue to build out".

George Bailey, the chair of Australia's selectors, claimed that he had spoken with Konstas about his dismissal from the Test team and that his lack of runs was the cause. So far this season, Sam Konstas has only scored one half-century in nine domestic innings. In contrast, Jake Weatherald, his successor, has scored three half-centuries in his last three games, including a top score of 94.

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