Teams warmed up twice at Edgbaston today, once in the morning, then in the afternoon, by which time they should have been red hot – Brad Haddin, in fact, was overcooked. An international cricketer for almost a decade, he has waited long for a prolonged opportunity at the top, and seen off some classy rivals: Wade Seccombe, Darren Berry, Ryan Campbell. Much like Wally Grout, who chose to play through his first series with a broken finger rather than let anyone else squeeze past, Haddin soldiered on through his first four Tests in the West Indies last year in considerable discomfort from a fractured ring finger in his right hand. He might well have ignored this suspected fracture in the corresponding finger of his other hand and played as a batsman here – he is Australia’s highest scorer this summer, and the fastest accumulator in their top seven. But if he is like Adam Gilchrist, who professed to feeling ‘naked’ without the gloves, he would have thought himself half a cricketer. Australia certainly look underdressed without him. If his glovework has been insecure this summer, an international batsman with 57 sixes is a force to be reckoned with.

JB Morton, aka Beachcomber, originated the classic definition of ‘bombshell’ as “the exclusion of the cricketer” from a team. Except that the bombshell of the omission of Phillip Hughes from the Australian team detonated prematurely last night when the cricketer texted family and friends at home, perhaps including the publican of the Nambucca Hotel, aka Bonzer’s, where his local fan club have gathered to cheer him on. Word got out, as it’s inclined to; Hughes confirmed the worst when he Tweeted at PH408 at about 7.30am: “Disappointed not to be on the field with the lads today, will be supporting the guys, it’s a BIG test match 4 us. Thanks 4 all the support!” Given that Hughes has 1257 Twitter followers (only followers? Twits, surely), the secret that Shane Watson would be making his return to the colours as an opening batsman became hard to keep.

Recriminations are bound to follow. Remember the good old days when Australian cricketers only texted in relation to potential sexual assignations? As for Twitter, it’s best left to Bumble. In the meantime, it looks a curious decision for all sorts of reasons. Australia’s selection panel contains three distinguished opening batsmen (Andrew Hilditch, David Boon and Jamie Cox) and they are choosing an opening pair of one reconfigured middle-order batsman (Simon Katich) and an all-rounder with a Test average under 20 from eight Tests over four and a half years.

The inconsistency is obvious. Hughes fell victim to a leg-side strangle and a poor decision at Lord’s; Mitchell Johnson bowled 39 of the most shambolic overs imaginable. Yet it is the latter who has made the cut. Ponting has been talking Hughes up through the last week, arguing that runs were just around the corner for the 21-year-old: “There is a big challenge ahead of him, but he is a young kid who is willing to learn and to try different things. In view of the talent he’s got, and the hunger he has for runs, I feel that he only needs half an hour in the middle and everything will click back into place.” For the sake of half an hour’s settling in, his exclusion now seems a startling sacrifice.

Hughes will bounce back. It can be a tough tour when you lose a previously unquestioned place: just ask Justin Langer. But things can also turn quickly: just ask Justin Langer. It has at least given us something to write about – there may not be much else. We should be thankful for small bombshells.