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You could wonder whether Cricket Australia deliberately prefers to be unclear about player availability or simply has a deficiency in communications, but once again, the health status of athletes and final team composition must be deduced from the 14-player squad announcement for the Brisbane match.

Typically, an unchanged squad would not be much news, but this time it is, thanks to the possible movement involving Pat Cummins and Usman Khawaja, none of which has come to pass.

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 back injury. 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 support the view that everything is on track and his healing is proceeding well, with a probable return to the side soon. Theoretically, he might still be added to the Test squad in the next few days if he and management so choose. However, something the claims doesn’t add up.

Going back to when Cummins’ scans were cleared in October, 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 initial match 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.”

After returning to his home city following the team’s raucous two-day win, he was seen bowling in the state facilities without any apparent limitations and, most notably, was using a pink Kookaburra ball, presumably as readiness for the Brisbane day-night game.

So, why the change of plans, well over a month since he indicated requiring a month to prepare his workload, and with six days until the first ball in the Gabba? Not to mention, there are eight more days of rest between Brisbane and the third Test. Should he target Adelaide, it will be over two months since he started training again.

That in itself is fine: prognoses can change, doctors may be cautious, athletes might take care. It’s just peculiar is that during the high-profile Ashes contest in the season, the board officials don’t appear to consider it reasonable to share updates about the skipper’s condition or the changing nature of either.

And if caution is the watchword with the captain, the opposite applies with the opener’s issue. He had spasms flare up in the first Test during brief periods on the field, keeping Australia’s usual opener from doing so in both innings and from making an impact 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.

His inclusion suggests he is due to resume the top order, even though his replacement scored a historic hundred in his place. Khawaja wouldn’t be picked as a backup or to play lower. But again, there is no confirmation about this, only the squad listing.

It isn’t necessary that sides must reveal a whole XI 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 do no harm to clarify where those two players are slotted to play. Some uncertainty in sports is a positive, but creating it out of the clearly evident is needless. If you’re in the business of winning over audiences, communication goes a long way.