🔗 Share this article

One might speculate whether Cricket Australia deliberately prefers to be unclear about player availability or simply has a deficiency in public relations, but yet again, the fitness of players and the makeup of the XI must be deduced from the selection in the larger squad for the second Ashes Test.

Normally, an identical team list would not attract attention, but on this occasion it is, due to the possible movement involving Pat Cummins and Usman Khawaja, none of which has come to pass.

The unexpected element is Cummins for not being included, with the team skipper and pace spearhead progressing in rehabilitation from early signs of a stress fracture. The only public acknowledgment was a cursory line with the team announcement stating that Cummins is scheduled to go to Brisbane to continue his preparations.”

Suggestions from within CA support the view that everything is on track and his healing is proceeding well, with a likely addition to the side soon. In theory, he might still be added to the Brisbane squad in coming days if deemed fit by staff. But still, something the claims doesn’t add up.

Going back to when Cummins’ scans were cleared in October, starting the clock on his return to play, all official statements from the bowler himself and timelines from CA indicated he would just be unavailable for the initial match and was scheduled to train at nearly full tilt with the squad in Perth. The head coach remarked, “He will be up and bowling in Perth, and people will be sitting there questioning why he’s not playing.”

Once Cummins got back to Sydney following the victory in the west, he was observed practicing in the state facilities without any apparent limitations and, importantly, was training with a pink ball, presumably as readiness for the Brisbane day-night game.

What prompted the shift, well over a month since he indicated requiring four weeks to build up his workload, and with six days until the first ball in Brisbane? Additionally, there are eight more days of rest between Brisbane and the third Test. If the latter is Cummins’ destination, it will be more than seven weeks since he started training again.

This is acceptable: medical opinions evolve, doctors may be cautious, athletes might take care. What’s strange is that during the high-profile Ashes contest in Australia’s calendar, the governing body’s representatives don’t appear to consider it reasonable to share any information about the captain’s fitness and availability or the evolving status of either.

If care is the priority with the captain, the opposite applies with Khawaja’s back injury. He had muscle spasms in the first Test during two paltry fielding innings, preventing the regular batsman from playing his role in the match and from making an impact when he eventually batted. Though he may have improved, the fact he’d not experienced them before surely leaves some risk that they might recur in the pressure of Brisbane.

With Khawaja in the squad logically means he is due to resume opening the batting, even though Travis Head made a record-setting century in Perth. He wouldn’t be selected as a reserve or to play lower. But again, there is no confirmation about this, just the selection.

It isn’t necessary that teams should have to give a full lineup when announcing selections, and strategies may shift. However, certain decisions are clearer than others, and given the way Travis Head’s explosive performance drew fan interest, it would cause no issue to confirm where those two players are due to bat. Some uncertainty in sports is a positive, but creating it out of the clearly evident is unnecessary. If you’re in the business of winning over audiences, communication goes a long way.