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One might speculate whether the Australian cricket board 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 the makeup of the XI must be deduced from the 14-player squad announcement for the Brisbane match.

Normally, an identical team list would not be much news, but on this occasion it is, due to the anticipated changes involving both key players, none of which has now eventuated.

Cummins is the surprise for not being included, with the regular captain and pace spearhead deep into his recovery from early signs of a stress fracture. The only public acknowledgment was a brief mention with the team announcement stating that “Pat Cummins will travel to Brisbane to continue his preparations.”

Insider reports indicate that this is all situation normal and his recovery remains happily on track, with a probable return to the side soon. In theory, Cummins could even join the Test squad in the next few days if he and management so choose. However, the explanations seem inconsistent.

Recalling when Cummins’ scans were cleared in last month, starting the clock on his buildup to match fitness, all official statements from the bowler himself and timelines from CA suggested he would only narrowly miss the first Test and was scheduled to train at close to full intensity with the team during the match. Coach Andrew McDonald said, “He will be up and bowling in Perth, and people will be sitting there questioning why he’s not playing.”

Once Cummins got back to his home city following the team’s raucous two-day win, he was observed practicing in the New South Wales nets without any visible restrictions and, most notably, was using a pink Kookaburra ball, presumably as readiness for the Brisbane day-night game.

What prompted the shift, well over a month since he indicated requiring four weeks to build up his workload, and with less than a week to go in Brisbane? Not to mention, 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 started training again.

This is acceptable: prognoses can change, doctors may be cautious, players can be cautious. It’s just peculiar is that during the high-profile Test series in the season, the board officials seem not to think it reasonable to share updates about the captain’s fitness and availability or the evolving status of either.

And if caution is the watchword with the captain, the reverse is true with Khawaja’s back injury. He had muscle spasms in Perth during two paltry fielding innings, keeping Australia’s usual opener from playing his role in the match and from having any influence when he did bat down the order. Though he may have improved, the newness of the problem creates concern that they might recur in the heat of the next Test.

His inclusion suggests he is due to resume the top order, even though his replacement scored a historic hundred in his place. Khawaja wouldn’t be picked as a reserve or to bat down the order. Once more, there is no confirmation about this, just the selection.

This doesn’t mean that sides must reveal a full lineup when announcing selections, and strategies may shift. However, certain decisions are clearer than others, and considering how Head’s whirlwind drew fan interest, it would cause no issue to clarify where both batsmen are due to bat. Some uncertainty in life is a good thing, but creating it out of the broadly obvious is unnecessary. If you’re in the business of engaging fans, communication goes a long way.