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You could wonder whether Cricket Australia deliberately prefers to be unclear about team selection or simply has a deficiency in public relations, 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.

Normally, an identical team list would not attract attention, but this time it is, thanks to the anticipated changes involving Pat Cummins and Usman Khawaja, none of which has come to pass.

Cummins is the surprise for his omission, with the regular captain and fast-bowling leader progressing in rehabilitation from early signs of a back injury. The sole official statement was a brief mention with the team announcement stating that Cummins is scheduled to go to Brisbane to further his training.”

Suggestions from within CA support the view that everything is on track and his recovery remains happily on track, with a likely addition to the side soon. In theory, Cummins could even join the Brisbane squad in the next few days if deemed fit by staff. However, something the claims doesn’t add up.

Recalling when Cummins’ scans were cleared in October, initiating the countdown on his return to play, all public commentary from the player and board schedules indicated he would just be unavailable for the first Test 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 fans will wonder why he’s not playing.”

After returning to Sydney 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 training with a pink ball, presumably as readiness for the Brisbane day-night game.

What prompted the shift, well over a month since Cummins said he would need 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 Brisbane and the third Test. Should he target Adelaide, it will be over two months since he resumed bowling.

This is acceptable: medical opinions evolve, 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 seem not to think it necessary to provide any information about the captain’s fitness and availability 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 muscle spasms in the first Test during brief periods on the field, preventing the regular batsman from doing so in both innings and from having any influence when he eventually batted. Even if his symptoms have subsided, the fact he’d not experienced them before surely leaves some risk that they might recur in the heat of the next Test.

His inclusion 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 backup or to bat down the order. But again, there is no official information about this, only the squad listing.

It isn’t necessary that teams should have to give a whole XI when picking their squad, and plans can change. However, certain decisions are clearer than others, and considering how Head’s whirlwind captured public attention, it would do no harm to confirm 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. For those aiming of engaging fans, communication goes a long way.