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You could wonder whether the Australian cricket board intentionally chooses 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 14-player squad announcement for the second Ashes Test.

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

The unexpected element is Cummins for not being included, with the team skipper and pace spearhead deep into his recovery from early signs 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, he might still be added to the Brisbane squad in coming days if deemed fit by staff. However, something the claims doesn’t add up.

Recalling when his medical tests came back positive in October, initiating the countdown on his buildup to match fitness, all official statements from the player and timelines from CA suggested he would only narrowly miss the first Test and was set to practice at nearly full tilt with the team during the match. Coach Andrew McDonald said, “He will be up and bowling in Perth, and fans will wonder 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 apparent limitations and, importantly, was training with a pink ball, what one would assume 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 bowling loads, and with six days until the first ball in Brisbane? Additionally, there are eight more days of rest between Brisbane and the third Test. Should he target Adelaide, it will be more than seven weeks since he started training again.

This is acceptable: 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 the season, the governing body’s representatives seem not to think it reasonable to share any information about the skipper’s condition or the evolving status of either.

And if caution is the watchword with the captain, the opposite applies with Khawaja’s back injury. He had spasms flare up in Perth during brief periods on the field, preventing the regular batsman from doing so in the match and from making an impact when he eventually batted. Though he may have improved, the fact he’d not experienced them before surely leaves some risk that they might recur in the heat of the next Test.

His inclusion suggests he is set to return to opening the batting, even though Travis Head made a record-setting century in his place. Khawaja wouldn’t be picked as a backup or to bat down the order. But again, there is no official information about this, just the selection.

It isn’t necessary that teams should have to give a whole XI when announcing selections, and strategies may shift. However, certain decisions are clearer than others, and given the way Head’s whirlwind drew fan interest, it would do no harm to confirm where those two players are slotted to play. A bit of mystery in sports is a positive, but manufacturing it out of the broadly obvious is needless. If you’re in the business of winning over audiences, communication goes a long way.