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One might speculate whether Cricket Australia deliberately prefers to be opaque about player availability or simply has a deficiency in public relations, but yet again, the fitness of players and final team composition must be inferred from the selection in the larger squad for the second Ashes Test.

Typically, an unchanged squad would not be much news, but this time it is, thanks to the anticipated changes involving both key players, none of which has now eventuated.

Cummins is the surprise for his omission, with the regular captain and pace spearhead deep into his recovery from initial symptoms of a stress fracture. The sole official statement was a brief mention with the squad release 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 healing is proceeding well, with a likely addition to the team in the near future. In theory, Cummins could even join the Brisbane squad in coming days if deemed fit by staff. However, 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 public commentary from the bowler himself and timelines from CA indicated he would only narrowly miss the first Test and was scheduled to train at close to full intensity 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 observed practicing in the state facilities without any visible restrictions and, importantly, was using a pink Kookaburra ball, what one would assume as readiness for the Brisbane day-night game.

So, why the change of plans, more than four weeks since Cummins said he would need four weeks to build up his workload, and with six days until the first ball in the Gabba? 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.

This is acceptable: medical opinions evolve, medical staff can be conservative, athletes might take care. What’s strange is that during the most anticipated and closely followed Ashes contest in Australia’s calendar, the board officials seem not to think it reasonable to share any information about the captain’s fitness and availability or the changing nature of either.

If care is the priority with Cummins, the opposite applies with Khawaja’s back injury. He had spasms flare up in Perth during two paltry fielding innings, keeping Australia’s usual opener from doing so in both innings 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 creates concern that they could return in the pressure of Brisbane.

His inclusion logically means he is due to resume the top order, even though his replacement scored a historic hundred in Perth. Khawaja wouldn’t be picked as a backup or to play lower. But again, there is no official information about this, only the squad listing.

It isn’t necessary that teams should have to give a full lineup when picking their squad, and strategies may shift. But some plans are firmer than others, and given the way Head’s whirlwind drew fan interest, it would cause no issue to confirm where both batsmen are due to bat. A bit of mystery in life is a positive, but creating it out of the broadly obvious is needless. For those aiming of winning over audiences, communication goes a long way.