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

Normally, 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, none of which has now eventuated.

The unexpected element is Cummins for his omission, with the regular captain and fast-bowling leader deep into his recovery from early signs of a stress fracture. The sole official statement was a cursory line 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 probable return to the team in the near future. Theoretically, Cummins could even join the Test squad in coming days if deemed fit by staff. However, something the claims doesn’t add up.

Recalling when Cummins’ scans were cleared in October, starting the clock on his buildup to match fitness, all official statements from the bowler himself and board schedules indicated he would just be unavailable for the initial match and was set to practice at close to full intensity 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 visible restrictions and, most notably, was training with a pink ball, what one would assume as readiness for the Brisbane day-night game.

What prompted the shift, well over a month since he indicated requiring four weeks to build up bowling loads, and with six days until the first ball in Brisbane? Additionally, there are eight more days of rest between Brisbane and the third Test. 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, players can be cautious. What’s strange is that during the most anticipated and closely followed Ashes contest in Australia’s calendar, the governing body’s representatives seem not to think it reasonable to share any information about the captain’s fitness and availability or the evolving status of either.

If care is the priority with Cummins, the reverse is true 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 playing his role in the match and from having any influence when he did bat down the order. Though he may have improved, the newness of the problem surely leaves some risk that they might recur in the heat of the next Test.

With Khawaja in the squad suggests he is due to resume opening the batting, even though Travis Head made a record-setting century in his place. He wouldn’t be selected as a backup or to bat down the order. But again, there is no official information about this, just the selection.

This doesn’t mean that teams should have to give a full lineup when announcing selections, and plans can change. However, certain decisions are clearer than others, and given the way Head’s whirlwind captured public attention, it would do no harm to confirm where those two players are due to bat. A bit of mystery in sports is a positive, but manufacturing it out of the broadly obvious is needless. If you’re in the business of engaging fans, transparency is crucial.