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Important SN update for SouthlandKonstas and Khawaja nightmare continues in horror show
SEN • July 5th, 2025 9:51 am
Another top order collapse.
Four words Australian cricket fans are becoming uncomfortably familiar with as the opening partnership was gone 2-4 in the most unimaginable start to their second innings on day two against the West Indies.
Sam Konstas dismissed for a four-ball duck and Usman Khawaja following him out with just two runs.
There was no Steve Smith for the final few overs with Nathan Lyon called on as nightwatchman – and what a performance he put on. Just not in a cricketing sense.
Australia’s innings began with just 35 minutes of play left and with the top two gone, Lyon (2) wanted to stretch things out alongside Cam Green (6).
Maybe it was a legitimate injury to his wrist, perhaps it was a stroke of genius time wasting. Whatever it was, it had been deemed award worthy.
“You win an award called a Logie in Australia for performances like that, Adam White said on SEN commentary.
Australia finished the day 2-12 with a 45-run lead after the West Indies put up 253 in their first innings.
As has been the case on a few too many occasions, Pat Cummins’ side will be looking to their middle order for another rescue mission.
“Chaotic," Bharat Sundaresan said of the final 35 minutes on SEN's The New Ball. "It felt like it took Lyon to walk out there and show how it’s done. Make sure play gets dragged on.
"I’m sure he copped a painful blow, and he was still grimacing. It took seven or eight minutes. It was good. Very well done and one a day he took three wickets."
Looking at the opening partnership, he added: “We just saw this coming. It’s not so much losing trust in the top order but it’s a lack of confidence. I don’t know how the dressing room feels about it.
“It’s been happening for a while now. Leave out the Konstas MCG innings, it’s not a good start.
"But Konstas and Khawaja, the fact one is 19 and one is 38, in the near future I don’t know who is the bigger concern."
