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You could wonder whether the Australian cricket board deliberately prefers to be opaque about player availability or simply lacks effectiveness in communications, but yet again, the health status of athletes and the makeup of the XI must be inferred from the selection in the larger squad for the second Ashes Test.

Typically, an identical team list would not attract attention, but on this occasion it is, due to the possible movement involving Pat Cummins and Usman Khawaja, none of which has now eventuated.

Cummins is the surprise for not being included, with the team skipper and pace spearhead deep into his recovery from initial symptoms of a back injury. The sole official statement was a cursory line 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 Test squad in coming days if deemed fit by staff. But still, something the claims doesn’t add up.

Going back to when Cummins’ scans were cleared in last month, starting the clock on his return to play, all official statements from the bowler himself and timelines from CA suggested he would just be unavailable for the initial match and was set to practice at nearly full tilt with the team during the match. The head coach remarked, “He will be up and bowling in Perth, and fans will wonder why he’s not playing.”

Once Cummins got back to Sydney following the victory in the west, he was seen bowling in the state facilities without any apparent limitations and, importantly, was training with a pink ball, what one would assume as preparation for the day-night Test.

So, why the change of plans, well over a month since Cummins said he would need four weeks to build up bowling loads, and with less than a week to go in Brisbane? Additionally, there are over a week’s break between matches. Should he target Adelaide, it will be more than seven weeks since he resumed bowling.

That in itself is fine: prognoses can change, medical staff can be conservative, athletes might take care. What’s strange is that during the most anticipated and closely followed Test series in Australia’s calendar, the governing body’s representatives don’t appear to consider it necessary to provide updates about the captain’s fitness and availability or the changing nature of either.

If care is the priority with Cummins, the opposite applies with the opener’s issue. He had spasms flare up in Perth during brief periods on the field, preventing the regular batsman 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 fact he’d not experienced them before creates concern that they might recur in the heat of the next Test.

With Khawaja in the squad logically means he is set to return to the top order, even though his replacement scored a historic hundred in Perth. Khawaja wouldn’t be picked as a reserve or to bat down the order. But again, there is no official information 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 captured public attention, it would cause no issue to clarify where those two players are due to bat. Some uncertainty in life is a positive, but creating it out of the clearly evident is unnecessary. If you’re in the business of engaging fans, transparency is crucial.