Konstas fell, Smith shone. But a new candidate to succeed Khawaja was revealed

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Away from the spotlight of the suffocating Ashes selection debate, rookie phenom Will Salzmann announced himself as a contender who could one day become the long-term successor to Usman Khawaja.

Opening the batting for the first time, just three games into his Sheffield Shield career, the 21-year-old New South Welshman rarely looked troubled by a Queensland attack missing the rested Michael Neser.

While this was far from a full-strength arsenal – the Bulls also missing Xavier Bartlett, Mark Steketee, Gurinder Sandhu, Jack Wildermuth, Callum Vidler and Tom Whitney – Salzmann eased to 65 from 85 balls, before edging a tight delivery from left-armer Hayden Kerr.

Will Salzmann, pictured on first-class debut for the Blues against Western Australia, continued a strong start to his career with a half-century against Queensland.

His exploits followed a man-of-the-match performance batting at No.7 on debut when he struck 43 and 72 in a low-scoring affair against Western Australia – roughly 30 per cent of his team’s runs.

At the Gabba, Salzmann looked all class. His defence was rock solid, his judgement was sound, he left the ball well, and played with scoring intent.

“I think it will be now,” teammate Kurtis Patterson, who fell late in the day for 122, said when asked if Salzmann’s future was at the top of the order.

“We’ve known Will’s a high-class player, I thought on debut in Perth he was the best batter in the game with some pretty good names in that [WA bowling attack] on a really tough wicket.

“He’s got front foot play, back foot play, he’s got a nice full face when he goes down the ground.

“He was a bowling all-rounder last year, he’s had a couple of niggles and to his credit he’s worked away in the batting and upskilled there. He’s probably surprised a few of us.”

Australia has endured a carousel of openers since David Warner’s 2024 retirement, with Khawaja expected to follow suit in the near future.

While it’s premature to declare Salzmann the 38-year-old’s heir apparent after one innings, he looked more than capable of handling the new ball in a sign he could emulate another all-rounder-turned-opener in Shane Watson.

But Khawaja has refused to rule out playing beyond the Ashes.

“I just want to play cricket and enjoy it, and when the time comes it’ll be up. It’s the circle of life,” Khawaja said.

“To win another Ashes and retain the Ashes is the goal, and then we’ll see what happens. Everything that has a beginning has an end, so at some stage it will, and I’m going to try and enjoy it as much as I can.”

Salzmann’s dismissal brought Steve Smith to the crease for his first innings since returning from New York.

Despite taking 22 balls to get off the mark, he ultimately tormented the Queensland attack and clipped anything full off his pads brilliantly.

Perhaps no stroke would have pleased the champion more than a lavish straight drive off great mate Marnus Labuschagne.

Three-straight boundaries in one James Bazley, a deft late cut and a pair of uppercuts were among his final session highlights, before falling for 118.

“By his own admission he was a little bit scratchy for his first 15 balls, I don’t think he’s hit many balls in New York until the last week or so. But there was one off his pads, and it was just like a click of the finger, and he was off and running,” Patterson said.

“The bat looked like an extension of his arm again like it does when he’s at his best. He’s the best problem-solver in the game.”

But as the Blues took on the Bulls’ attack to finish the day 5-349, incumbent Test opener Sam Konstas let a golden chance slip.

He had holstered the audacious ramps and extravagant strokes, looking solid on the front foot before shouldering arms to Kerr from around the wicket to have the top of his middle stump clipped for 10.

Given the rain circling Brisbane, with the first day washed out, this was likely Konstas’ final opportunity to press his Ashes case, although his start to the Shield campaign (81 runs at 16.2) had likely already sealed his fate.

The 20-year-old has been a lightning rod for scrutiny since his Boxing Day heroics last year, but Patterson was confident he would emerge from this slump.

“It’s a really tough one – none of us have been through what Sam’s been through. He’s going through something none of us have, with reaching that mountain top on Boxing Day to trying to figure things out,” Patterson said.

“I’m sure it’s taken up some space in his brain this Ashes series, and it’s hard not to when every article is written about him.

“He’s lining the ball up well, it was just a misjudgement today. He’ll figure it out, he’s too good a player not to.”

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