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You could wonder whether the Australian cricket board intentionally chooses to be opaque about team selection or simply has a deficiency in communications, but once again, the health status of athletes and the makeup of the XI must be inferred from the 14-player squad announcement for the Brisbane match.

Normally, an unchanged squad would not be much news, but this time 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 not being included, with the team skipper and fast-bowling leader deep into his recovery from initial symptoms of a stress fracture. The only public acknowledgment was a brief mention with the team announcement stating that Cummins is scheduled to go 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 team in the near future. In theory, he might still be added to the Test squad in the next few days if deemed fit by staff. But still, something the claims doesn’t add up.

Recalling when Cummins’ scans were cleared in last month, 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 initial match and was scheduled to train at close to full intensity with the team during the match. Coach Andrew McDonald said, “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 his home city following the victory in the west, he was observed practicing in the New South Wales nets without any visible restrictions and, importantly, was using a pink Kookaburra ball, presumably as preparation for the day-night Test.

What prompted the shift, more than four weeks since Cummins said he would need a month to prepare 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 over two months since he resumed bowling.

This is acceptable: prognoses can change, medical staff can be conservative, athletes might take care. It’s just peculiar is that during the most anticipated and closely followed Test series in Australia’s calendar, the board officials seem not to think it reasonable to share updates about the skipper’s condition or the changing nature of either.

If care is the priority with the captain, the opposite applies with Khawaja’s back injury. He had spasms flare up in the first Test during two paltry fielding innings, preventing the regular batsman from doing so in the match and from having any influence when he eventually batted. Even if his symptoms have subsided, the newness of the problem surely leaves some risk that they could return in the heat of the next Test.

With Khawaja in the squad logically means he is set to return to opening the batting, even though Travis Head made a record-setting century in Perth. Khawaja wouldn’t be picked as a reserve or to bat down the order. Once more, there is no official information about this, only the squad listing.

This doesn’t mean that sides must reveal 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 clarify where both batsmen are slotted to play. Some uncertainty in life is a positive, but creating it out of the clearly evident is unnecessary. For those aiming of engaging fans, communication goes a long way.