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One might speculate whether Cricket Australia intentionally chooses to be unclear about player availability or simply lacks effectiveness in public relations, but once again, the fitness of players and final team composition must be inferred from the 14-player squad announcement for the second Ashes Test.

Typically, an identical team list would not be much news, but this time it is, thanks to the possible movement involving Pat Cummins and Usman Khawaja, neither of which has now eventuated.

The unexpected element is Cummins for his omission, 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 cursory line with the team announcement stating that “Pat Cummins will travel to Brisbane to continue his preparations.”

Suggestions from within CA indicate that everything is on track and his healing is proceeding well, with a likely addition to the team in the near future. Theoretically, he might still be added to the Brisbane squad in coming days if deemed fit by staff. However, the explanations seem inconsistent.

Recalling when Cummins’ scans were cleared in October, starting the clock on his buildup to match fitness, all public commentary from the player and board schedules suggested he would just be unavailable for the initial match and was set to practice 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.”

After returning 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, what one would assume as readiness for the Brisbane day-night game.

So, why the change of plans, well over a month since Cummins said he would need a month to prepare his workload, and with less than a week to go in the Gabba? Additionally, there are over a week’s break between matches. Should he target Adelaide, it will be more than seven weeks since he started training again.

That in itself is fine: medical opinions evolve, 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 governing body’s representatives seem not to think it reasonable to share updates about the captain’s fitness and availability or the evolving status of either.

If care is the priority with the captain, the opposite applies with the opener’s issue. He had muscle spasms in Perth during two paltry fielding innings, preventing the regular batsman from doing so in the match and from making an impact when he eventually batted. Even if his symptoms have subsided, the fact he’d not experienced them before surely leaves some risk that they could return in the heat of the next Test.

With Khawaja in the squad suggests he is due to resume the top order, even though Travis Head made a record-setting century in his place. Khawaja wouldn’t be picked as a backup or to play lower. But again, there is no confirmation about this, just the selection.

This doesn’t mean that teams should have to give a whole XI when announcing selections, and strategies may shift. But some plans are firmer than others, and considering how Travis Head’s explosive performance captured public attention, it would do no harm to confirm where both batsmen are due to bat. Some uncertainty in life is a positive, but creating it out of the clearly evident is needless. If you’re in the business of engaging fans, communication goes a long way.