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You could wonder whether the Australian cricket board deliberately prefers to be unclear about player availability or simply has a deficiency in communications, but once again, the health status of athletes and the makeup of the XI must be deduced from the selection in the larger squad for the second Ashes Test.

Typically, an identical team list would not be much news, but this time it is, thanks to the possible movement involving Pat Cummins and Usman Khawaja, none 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 early signs of a stress fracture. The only public acknowledgment was a cursory line with the team announcement stating that “Pat Cummins will travel to Brisbane to further his training.”

Suggestions from within CA support the view that this is all situation normal and his recovery remains happily on track, with a likely addition to the side soon. Theoretically, Cummins could even join the Test squad in coming days if deemed fit by staff. However, something the claims doesn’t add up.

Recalling when Cummins’ scans were cleared in last month, starting the clock on his buildup to match fitness, all public commentary from the player and timelines from CA suggested he would only narrowly miss the first Test and was scheduled to train at nearly full tilt with the squad in Perth. The head coach remarked, “He will be up and bowling in Perth, and fans will wonder why he’s not playing.”

After returning to his home city following the team’s raucous two-day win, he was observed practicing in the state facilities without any visible restrictions and, most notably, was using a pink Kookaburra ball, what one would assume as preparation for the day-night Test.

What prompted the shift, well over a month since he indicated requiring a month to prepare his workload, and with less than a week to go in Brisbane? Additionally, there are over a week’s break between Brisbane and the third Test. If the latter is Cummins’ destination, it will be more than seven weeks since he resumed bowling.

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 Test series in the season, the board officials don’t appear to consider it necessary to provide any information about the captain’s fitness and availability or the changing nature of either.

If care is the priority with Cummins, the reverse is true with Khawaja’s back injury. He had muscle spasms in the first Test during two paltry fielding innings, keeping Australia’s usual opener from doing so in the match and from having any influence when he did bat down the order. Though he may have improved, the fact he’d not experienced them before surely leaves some risk that they might recur in the pressure of Brisbane.

With Khawaja in the squad logically means he is due to resume opening the batting, even though his replacement scored a historic hundred in his place. Khawaja wouldn’t be picked as a backup or to play lower. But again, there is no confirmation about this, just the selection.

This doesn’t mean that teams should have to give a whole XI when picking their squad, and plans can change. However, certain decisions are clearer than others, and considering how Head’s whirlwind drew fan interest, it would do no harm to clarify where both batsmen are slotted to play. A bit of mystery in sports is a good thing, but creating it out of the broadly obvious is needless. For those aiming of winning over audiences, communication goes a long way.