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You could wonder whether the Australian cricket board intentionally chooses to be opaque about player availability or simply lacks effectiveness in communications, but once again, the health status of athletes and final team composition must be deduced from the selection in the larger squad for the second Ashes Test.

Typically, an identical team list would not attract attention, but this time it is, due to the possible movement involving both key players, none of which has now eventuated.

The unexpected element is Cummins for not being included, with the team skipper and pace spearhead progressing in rehabilitation from initial symptoms of a back injury. The sole official statement was a brief mention with the squad release stating that Cummins is scheduled to go to Brisbane to further his training.”

Suggestions from within CA support the view that everything is on track and his healing is proceeding well, with a probable return to the team in the near future. Theoretically, he might still be added to the Brisbane squad in coming days if he and management so choose. But still, the explanations seem inconsistent.

Going back to when his medical tests came back positive in October, starting the clock on his buildup to match fitness, all official statements from the bowler himself and board schedules suggested he would just be unavailable for the first Test and was scheduled to train at nearly full tilt with the squad in Perth. The head coach remarked, “Cummins will be fit to bowl in Perth, and people will be sitting there questioning why he’s not playing.”

After returning to his home city following the team’s raucous two-day win, he was seen bowling in the New South Wales nets without any apparent limitations and, importantly, was using a pink Kookaburra ball, presumably 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 his workload, and with less than a week to go in Brisbane? Additionally, there are eight more days of rest between matches. If the latter is Cummins’ destination, it will be more than seven weeks since he started training again.

That in itself is fine: medical opinions evolve, doctors may be cautious, athletes might take care. What’s strange is that during the high-profile Ashes contest in Australia’s calendar, the board officials don’t appear to consider it reasonable to share updates 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 the opener’s issue. He had muscle spasms in the first Test during brief periods on the field, preventing the regular batsman from playing his role in both innings and from having any influence when he eventually batted. Though he may have improved, the fact he’d not experienced them before surely leaves some risk that they could return in the pressure of Brisbane.

With Khawaja in the squad logically means he is due to resume the top order, even though Travis Head made a record-setting century in Perth. He wouldn’t be selected as a backup or to bat down the order. Once more, there is no official information about this, just the selection.

It isn’t necessary that sides must reveal a full lineup when announcing selections, and plans can change. But some plans are firmer 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. Some uncertainty in sports is a good thing, but creating it out of the clearly evident is unnecessary. If you’re in the business of engaging fans, communication goes a long way.