🔗 Share this article

You could wonder 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 inferred from the 14-player squad announcement for the Brisbane match.

Typically, an unchanged squad would not attract attention, but this time it is, due to the anticipated changes 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 brief mention with the squad release stating that “Pat Cummins will travel to Brisbane to continue his preparations.”

Suggestions from within CA indicate that this is all situation normal and his healing is proceeding well, with a probable return to the team in the near future. Theoretically, Cummins could even join the Brisbane squad in coming days if he and management so choose. But still, the explanations seem inconsistent.

Recalling when Cummins’ scans were cleared in last month, initiating the countdown on his buildup to match fitness, all official statements from the bowler himself and timelines from CA suggested he would just be unavailable for the first Test and was set to practice at nearly full tilt with the team during the match. The head coach remarked, “Cummins will be fit to bowl in Perth, and people will be sitting there questioning why he’s not playing.”

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

So, why the change of plans, more than four weeks since Cummins said he would need a month to prepare his workload, and with less than a week to go in the Gabba? Not to mention, there are over a week’s break 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: prognoses can change, medical staff can be conservative, players can be cautious. It’s just peculiar is that during the high-profile Ashes contest in the season, the board officials don’t appear to consider it reasonable to share any information about the captain’s fitness and availability or the evolving status of either.

And if caution is the watchword with the captain, the reverse is true with the opener’s issue. He had muscle spasms in Perth during two paltry fielding innings, preventing the regular batsman from doing so in both innings and from having any influence when he did bat down the order. Though he may have improved, the newness of the problem surely leaves some risk that they might recur in the pressure of Brisbane.

His inclusion logically means he is due to resume the top order, even though his replacement scored a historic hundred in his place. He wouldn’t be selected as a reserve or to play lower. Once more, 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 plans can change. But some plans are firmer than others, and given the way Travis Head’s explosive performance drew fan interest, it would do no harm to confirm where both batsmen are slotted to play. A bit of mystery in life is a good thing, but creating it out of the broadly obvious is unnecessary. If you’re in the business of engaging fans, communication goes a long way.