🔗 Share this article

One might speculate whether Cricket Australia deliberately prefers to be opaque about player availability or simply lacks effectiveness in communications, but yet again, the health status of athletes and the makeup of the XI must be deduced from the selection in the larger squad for the Brisbane match.

Normally, an identical team list would not attract attention, but on this occasion it is, thanks to the anticipated changes involving Pat Cummins and Usman Khawaja, neither of which has come to pass.

Cummins is the surprise for not being included, with the team skipper and pace spearhead deep into his recovery from initial symptoms of a back injury. The sole official statement was a brief mention with the team announcement stating that Cummins is scheduled to go to Brisbane to continue his preparations.”

Insider reports indicate that everything is on track and his recovery remains happily on track, with a likely addition to the team in the near future. In theory, Cummins could even join the Brisbane squad in the next few days if deemed fit by staff. But still, something the claims doesn’t add up.

Recalling when Cummins’ scans were cleared in last month, initiating the countdown on his return to play, all public commentary from the bowler himself and timelines from CA suggested he would only narrowly miss the first Test and was set to practice at nearly full tilt with the team during the match. The head coach remarked, “He will be up and bowling in Perth, and people will be sitting there questioning why he’s not playing.”

After returning to his home city following the victory in the west, he was seen bowling in the New South Wales nets without any apparent limitations and, most notably, was training with a pink ball, what one would assume as preparation for the day-night Test.

What prompted the shift, well over a month since Cummins said he would need four weeks to build up bowling loads, and with six days until the first ball in the Gabba? Not to mention, there are over a week’s break between matches. If the latter is Cummins’ destination, it will be over two months since he started training again.

This is acceptable: prognoses can change, medical staff can be conservative, athletes might take care. It’s just peculiar is that during the most anticipated and closely followed Test series 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 changing nature 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 the first Test during two paltry fielding innings, preventing the regular batsman from playing his role in both innings and from having any influence when he eventually batted. Even if his symptoms have subsided, the fact he’d not experienced them before surely leaves some risk that they could return in the heat of the next Test.

His inclusion logically means he is due to resume opening the batting, even though his replacement scored a historic hundred in Perth. Khawaja wouldn’t be picked as a reserve or to bat down the order. But again, there is no official information about this, only the squad listing.

This doesn’t mean that teams should have to give a full lineup when announcing selections, and strategies may shift. But some plans are firmer than others, and given the way Head’s whirlwind drew fan interest, it would do no harm to confirm where both batsmen are due to bat. A bit of mystery in life is a good thing, but manufacturing it out of the clearly evident is needless. If you’re in the business of engaging fans, communication goes a long way.