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You could wonder whether Cricket Australia intentionally chooses to be unclear about team selection or simply has a deficiency in communications, but yet again, the fitness of players and the makeup of the XI must be deduced 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, 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 regular captain and fast-bowling leader progressing in rehabilitation from early signs of a stress fracture. The sole official statement was a brief mention 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 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 Brisbane squad in the next few days if he and management so choose. However, the explanations seem inconsistent.

Going back to when Cummins’ scans were cleared in October, starting the clock on his return to play, all official statements from the bowler himself and timelines from CA suggested he would just be unavailable for the initial match and was scheduled to train 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 his home city following the team’s raucous two-day win, he was seen bowling in the New South Wales nets without any apparent limitations and, most notably, was using a pink Kookaburra ball, presumably as readiness for the Brisbane day-night game.

What prompted the shift, more than four weeks since Cummins said he would need a month to prepare his workload, and with six days until the first ball in Brisbane? Additionally, there are over a week’s break between matches. If the latter is Cummins’ destination, 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. What’s strange is that during the most anticipated and closely followed Ashes contest in the season, the board officials don’t appear to consider it reasonable to share updates about the captain’s fitness and availability or the evolving status of either.

And if caution is the watchword with the captain, the reverse is true with the opener’s issue. He had muscle spasms in the first Test during two paltry fielding innings, keeping Australia’s usual opener from playing his role in the match and from having any influence when he did bat down the order. Even if his symptoms have subsided, the fact he’d not experienced them before creates concern that they could return in the pressure of Brisbane.

His inclusion 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 bat down the order. Once more, there is no official information about this, just the selection.

This doesn’t mean that teams should have to give a whole XI when announcing selections, and plans can change. However, certain decisions are clearer than others, and given the way Head’s whirlwind drew fan interest, it would do no harm to clarify where both batsmen are due to bat. Some uncertainty in life is a good thing, but manufacturing it out of the clearly evident is needless. For those aiming of engaging fans, transparency is crucial.