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Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has thrown his weight behind 19-year-old Sam Konstas to open the innings alongside Usman Khawaja in the upcoming Ashes series later this year.

Speaking to ICC Digital, Ponting shared his thoughts on Australia’s top-order options for both the Ashes and the beginning of their new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, urging selectors to persist with Konstas despite his recent struggles.

“The batters that they’re talking about in the last couple of weeks in particular have been Sam Konstas and Usman Khawaja, and then there was some talk about Cameron Green, whether he’s a long-term number three or not,” Ponting said.

Ponting also hinted that Green’s gritty second-innings knock in the Caribbean may have cemented his place at No. 3.

“Green’s second innings in the West Indies might have put that to bed. As tough as the conditions were, the way he batted might have silenced a few of those critics,” he added.

Sam Konstas, meanwhile, endured a nightmare tour of the West Indies, managing just 50 runs across six innings.

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However, Ricky Ponting believes his form shouldn’t be judged in isolation, pointing to the extremely challenging conditions during that series.

“I read a really interesting piece by Robert Craddock about how they tried to protect Sam from the Sri Lanka tour, thinking the Caribbean would be easier,” he added.

“But it turned out the pitches in Sri Lanka were better for batting and the West Indies surfaces were tough.”

Despite the lean run, Ponting urged Konstas to block out the noise and trust the process.

“If I were him, I’d be sticking to one or two trusted voices and ignoring the rest. It’s hard in today’s world with media and social platforms, but keeping your preparation and mindset clear is essential,” he concluded.

For the unversed, Sam Konstas burst onto the scene last year with a fearless 60 off 65 balls on debut against India in the Boxing Day Test, going after Jasprit Bumrah with authority.