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You could wonder whether Cricket Australia deliberately prefers to be opaque about team selection 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.

Typically, an unchanged squad would not attract attention, but on this occasion it is, thanks to the possible movement involving both key players, none of which has come to pass.

The unexpected element is Cummins for his omission, with the team skipper and pace spearhead progressing in rehabilitation from early signs of a stress fracture. The sole official statement was a brief mention with the team announcement stating that “Pat Cummins will travel to Brisbane to further his training.”

Suggestions from within CA support the view that everything is on track 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 Test squad in the next few days if deemed fit by staff. However, something the claims doesn’t add up.

Going back to when his medical tests came back positive in October, starting the clock on his buildup to match fitness, all official statements 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 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 observed practicing in the New South Wales nets without any apparent limitations and, most notably, was training with a pink ball, presumably as preparation for the day-night Test.

What prompted the shift, well over a month since he indicated requiring a month to prepare bowling loads, and with six days until the first ball in the Gabba? Not to mention, there are eight more days of rest between matches. If the latter is Cummins’ destination, it will be more than seven weeks since he started training again.

That in itself is fine: prognoses can change, doctors may be cautious, athletes might take care. What’s strange 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 updates about the skipper’s condition or the evolving status 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 having any influence when he eventually batted. Though he may have improved, the fact he’d not experienced them before surely leaves some risk that they could return in the pressure of Brisbane.

With Khawaja in the squad suggests he is due to resume the top order, even though Travis Head made a record-setting century in Perth. He wouldn’t be selected as a reserve or to bat down the order. But again, there is no confirmation about this, just the selection.

It isn’t necessary that sides must reveal a whole XI when announcing selections, and plans can change. But some plans are firmer than others, and given the way Travis Head’s explosive performance captured public attention, it would cause no issue to clarify where both batsmen are due to bat. Some uncertainty in sports is a good thing, but creating it out of the broadly obvious is needless. If you’re in the business of winning over audiences, communication goes a long way.