🔗 Share this article

You could wonder whether Cricket Australia deliberately prefers to be unclear about team selection or simply has a deficiency in public relations, but yet again, the fitness of players and final team composition must be deduced from the 14-player squad announcement for the second Ashes Test.

Typically, an unchanged squad would not attract attention, but on this occasion it is, due 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 fast-bowling leader progressing in rehabilitation from initial symptoms of a back injury. The only public acknowledgment was a cursory line with the squad release stating that “Pat Cummins will travel to Brisbane to further his training.”

Insider reports indicate that everything is on track and his healing is proceeding well, with a likely addition to the side soon. Theoretically, he might still be added to the Brisbane squad in coming days if deemed fit by staff. However, something the claims doesn’t add up.

Going back to when Cummins’ scans were cleared in last month, initiating the countdown on his buildup to match fitness, all official statements from the player and board schedules indicated he would only narrowly miss the first Test and was scheduled to train at nearly full tilt with the team during the match. Coach Andrew McDonald said, “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 his home city following the team’s raucous two-day win, he was seen bowling in the New South Wales nets without any visible restrictions and, most notably, was using a pink Kookaburra ball, presumably as preparation for the day-night Test.

So, why the change of plans, well over a month since he indicated requiring four weeks to build up bowling loads, and with less than a week to go 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 over two months since he started training again.

This is acceptable: medical opinions evolve, medical staff can be conservative, players can be cautious. It’s just peculiar is that during the most anticipated and closely followed 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 changing nature of either.

If care is the priority with the captain, the reverse is true with Khawaja’s back injury. He had muscle spasms in Perth during brief periods on the field, keeping Australia’s usual opener from playing his role in the match and from having any influence when he eventually batted. Even if his symptoms have subsided, the fact he’d not experienced them before creates concern that they might recur 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 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.

This doesn’t mean that sides must reveal a whole XI when picking their squad, and plans can change. However, certain decisions are clearer than others, and considering how Travis Head’s explosive performance drew fan interest, it would cause no issue to clarify where those two players are slotted to play. A bit of mystery in sports is a good thing, but creating it out of the broadly obvious is unnecessary. For those aiming of engaging fans, transparency is crucial.