🔗 Share this article

You could wonder whether the Australian cricket board intentionally chooses to be opaque 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 be much news, but on this occasion it is, due to the possible movement involving both key players, neither of which has come to pass.

The unexpected element is Cummins for his omission, with the team skipper and pace spearhead deep into his recovery from initial symptoms of a back injury. 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.”

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, he might still be added to the Brisbane squad in coming days if he and management so choose. 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 player and timelines from CA indicated he would just be unavailable for the first Test and was set to practice at nearly full tilt with the team during the match. Coach Andrew McDonald said, “Cummins will be fit to bowl in Perth, and fans will wonder why he’s not playing.”

Once Cummins got back to Sydney following the victory in the west, he was seen bowling in the New South Wales nets without any apparent limitations and, importantly, was using a pink Kookaburra ball, presumably as readiness for the Brisbane day-night game.

What prompted the shift, more than four weeks since Cummins said he would need four weeks to build up his workload, and with less than a week to go in the Gabba? Additionally, there are eight more days of rest between matches. If the latter is Cummins’ destination, it will be over two months since he started training again.

That in itself is fine: prognoses can change, medical staff can be conservative, players can be cautious. It’s just peculiar is that during the most anticipated and closely followed Test series in Australia’s calendar, the board officials seem not to think it reasonable to share updates 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 spasms flare up in the first Test during two paltry fielding innings, preventing the regular batsman from doing so 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.

With Khawaja in the squad suggests he is set to return to the top order, even though his replacement scored a historic hundred in Perth. Khawaja wouldn’t be picked as a backup or to bat down the order. But again, there is no confirmation about this, only the squad listing.

It isn’t necessary that sides must reveal a full lineup when announcing selections, and plans can change. However, certain decisions are clearer than others, and considering how Travis Head’s explosive performance captured public attention, it would do no harm to confirm where both batsmen are due to bat. A bit of mystery in sports is a good thing, but manufacturing it out of the broadly obvious is unnecessary. If you’re in the business of engaging fans, transparency is crucial.