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You could wonder whether Cricket Australia intentionally chooses to be opaque about player availability or simply has a deficiency in public relations, but once again, the health status of athletes and final team composition must be inferred from the selection in the larger squad for the Brisbane match.

Typically, an unchanged squad would not be much news, but this time it is, due 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 fast-bowling leader deep into his recovery from initial symptoms of a stress fracture. The sole official statement was a brief mention 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 healing is proceeding well, with a probable return to the side soon. In theory, Cummins could even join the Test squad in coming days if he and management so choose. However, the explanations seem inconsistent.

Going back to when his medical tests came back positive in last month, initiating the countdown on his return to play, all official statements from the player and board schedules indicated he would just be unavailable for the first Test and was set to practice at nearly full tilt with the squad in Perth. Coach Andrew McDonald said, “Cummins will be fit to bowl in Perth, and people will be sitting there questioning why he’s not playing.”

Once Cummins got back to his home city following the victory in the west, he was observed practicing in the New South Wales nets without any visible restrictions and, importantly, was training with a pink ball, presumably as preparation for the day-night Test.

So, why the change of plans, more than four weeks since Cummins said he would need a month to prepare bowling loads, 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. 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 any information about the skipper’s condition or the changing nature of either.

If care is the priority with the captain, the opposite applies with the opener’s issue. 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. Even if his symptoms have subsided, the fact he’d not experienced them before creates concern that they might recur in the pressure of Brisbane.

With Khawaja in the squad logically means he is set to return to opening the batting, even though his replacement scored a historic hundred in Perth. He wouldn’t be selected as a reserve or to play lower. Once more, there is no official information about this, just the selection.

It isn’t necessary 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 Travis Head’s explosive performance captured public attention, it would do no harm to clarify where both batsmen are due to bat. Some uncertainty in sports is a positive, but manufacturing it out of the broadly obvious is unnecessary. For those aiming of engaging fans, communication goes a long way.