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You could wonder whether the Australian cricket board intentionally chooses to be unclear about player availability or simply lacks effectiveness in public relations, but once again, the fitness of players and the makeup of the XI must be inferred from the 14-player squad announcement for the second Ashes Test.

Normally, an identical team list would not attract attention, but on this occasion it is, due to the anticipated changes involving Pat Cummins and Usman Khawaja, neither of which has come to pass.

Cummins is the surprise for his omission, with the team skipper and fast-bowling leader progressing in rehabilitation from initial symptoms 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.”

Suggestions from within CA indicate that this is all situation normal and his recovery remains happily on track, with a likely addition to the side soon. Theoretically, he might still be added to the Test squad in coming days if he and management so choose. However, something the claims doesn’t add up.

Going back to when Cummins’ scans were cleared in last month, initiating the countdown on his return to play, all public commentary from the bowler himself and timelines from CA suggested he would only narrowly miss the first Test and was set to practice at nearly full tilt 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.”

Once Cummins got back to Sydney following the victory in the west, he was seen bowling in the New South Wales nets without any apparent limitations and, importantly, was using a pink Kookaburra ball, presumably as readiness for the Brisbane day-night game.

What prompted the shift, more than four weeks since he indicated requiring a month to prepare bowling loads, and with six days until the first ball in the Gabba? Additionally, there are over a week’s break between matches. If the latter is Cummins’ destination, it will be more than seven weeks since he started training again.

This is acceptable: prognoses can change, medical staff can be conservative, athletes might take care. What’s strange is that during the high-profile Ashes contest in Australia’s calendar, the board officials seem not to think it reasonable to share updates about the skipper’s condition or the evolving status of either.

And if caution is the watchword with Cummins, the reverse is true with the opener’s issue. He had spasms flare up in Perth during two paltry fielding innings, preventing the regular batsman from doing so in both innings 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 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 Travis Head made a record-setting century in his place. Khawaja wouldn’t be picked as a reserve or to bat down the order. But again, there is no official information about this, only the squad listing.

It isn’t necessary that sides must reveal a whole XI when announcing selections, and plans can change. 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 slotted to play. Some uncertainty in life is a good thing, but creating it out of the broadly obvious is unnecessary. For those aiming of winning over audiences, transparency is crucial.