Meet the NSW rising star who overshadowed Konstas by ‘batting like Steve Waugh’

All eyes were on Sam Konstas ahead of NSW’s Sheffield Shield opener against Western Australia in Perth earlier this month.

But it was the performance of 21-year-old all-rounder Will Salzmann, making his first-class debut, that turned the heads of Australian cricket’s most influential figures.

Few people watch more cricket than former Test spinner and Fox Cricket commentator Kerry O’Keeffe, whose eye for emerging talent is second to none.

O’Keeffe watched every ball of Salzmann’s two innings on a tricky WACA surface that produced team totals of 170, 161, 221 and 156.

Batting at No.7, Salzmann top-scored for the Blues in both innings with 43 and 72 – almost 30 per cent of NSW’s overall runs – in a narrow victory where he was named man of the match.

Within the Blues set-up, some believe that if Konstas or Cameron Green had made the same contribution, it would have been hailed as genius batting on such a sticky wicket.

“He’s got something,” O’Keeffe told this masthead ahead of the Blues’ next Shield assignment against Victoria, starting on Wednesday in Melbourne. “He was the best batter in either side at seven on debut. This is a player on the rise.

“He batted like Steve Waugh, the way he got his head and shoulder into line for every delivery.

“He’s listed as a fast bowler who bats a bit, but I see the reverse. I think he could be a middle-order player who bowls second change. A bit like Cameron Green. People have rung me and said, ‘This kid can play. His ceiling is high’.”

A Campbelltown junior now playing for Sydney University, Salzmann has long been on the radar. As a teenager, he wrote his parents a 3500-word essay convincing them to let him leave school and pursue cricket full-time.

A right-arm quick with a whippy action, Salzmann was Australia’s leading wicket-taker at the 2022 under-19 World Cup, claiming 12 scalps at 19.41. Later that year, he debuted in one-day cricket for NSW and has now played seven List A matches.

Salmann’s father, Ray, wanted to be in Perth for the season opener, but the Blues hadn’t finalised their team. Salzmann told his dad he’d shout him a flight home if he was given 12th man duties.

The week couldn’t have turned out better, aside from a stern word from Blues skipper Nathan Lyon, who didn’t hide his displeasure at Salzmann getting stumped in the second innings 28 runs shy of a century on debut.

“I knew dad wouldn’t want to miss it,” Salzmann said. “He was welcomed into the huddle for the presentation. He had a beer in the change room. I loved him being there. It was special.

“This is a player on the rise. He batted like Steve Waugh, the way he got his head and shoulder into line for every delivery.”

Kerry O’Keeffe

“I keep a strong journal and have done it since I was 14. That essay was just the beginning of me dreaming of becoming a cricketer and trying to make it. I think it showed my parents how much I wanted it. Mum, even though she doesn’t understand the game as much, she’s my biggest fan and supporter.”

An ankle injury last year led Salzmann back to his childhood batting coach Neil D’Costa, who has been a mentor to Michael Clarke, Phillip Hughes and more recently Marnus Labuschagne.

The pair got to work in December and pulled Salzmann’s technique apart, before he churned out big runs in grade cricket and became a more dangerous prospect at the crease.

“I started batting with Neil when I was 10. I think a lot of my batting DNA was built through his philosophies,” Salzmann said.

“I trusted my game, trusted my technique and don’t feel like I was searching for answers. I think it’s really encouraging that both my dismissals, I believe, I was getting myself out.

“Hopefully I can be like a sponge to not make those mistakes again. I felt like I left runs out there.”

A hamstring niggle limited Salzmann to just one over at the WACA, but if his batting keeps trending upwards, Australian cricket may have unearthed its next dual threat.

“It has been a long journey to get here,” Salzmann said. “It’s just a glimpse, though. There’s a lot further I can go with it, which is exciting.”