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You could wonder whether the Australian cricket board intentionally chooses to be unclear about player availability or simply has a deficiency in communications, but yet again, the health status of athletes and final team composition must be inferred from the 14-player squad announcement for the Brisbane match.

Normally, an unchanged squad would not attract attention, but on this occasion it is, thanks to the possible movement involving Pat Cummins and Usman Khawaja, neither of which has now eventuated.

The unexpected element is Cummins for his omission, with the team skipper and fast-bowling leader progressing in rehabilitation from initial symptoms of a back injury. The only public acknowledgment was a cursory line with the squad release stating that “Pat Cummins will travel to Brisbane to further his training.”

Suggestions from within CA indicate that everything is on track and his recovery remains happily on track, with a probable return to the side soon. Theoretically, Cummins could even join the Brisbane squad in the next few days if deemed fit by staff. However, the explanations seem inconsistent.

Recalling when his medical tests came back positive in last month, starting the clock on his return to play, all public commentary from the player and board schedules indicated he would only narrowly miss the first Test and was set to practice at nearly full tilt with the team during the match. Coach Andrew McDonald said, “Cummins will be fit to bowl in Perth, and people will be sitting there questioning why he’s not playing.”

Once Cummins got back to his home city following the team’s raucous two-day win, he was observed practicing in the New South Wales nets without any visible restrictions and, importantly, was training with a pink ball, presumably as readiness for the Brisbane day-night game.

What prompted the shift, 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. If the latter is Cummins’ destination, it will be more than seven weeks since he started training again.

That in itself is fine: 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 don’t appear to consider it necessary to provide any information 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 muscle spasms in Perth during two paltry fielding innings, 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 newness of the problem creates concern that they might recur in the pressure of Brisbane.

His inclusion logically means he is due to resume opening the batting, even though his replacement scored a historic hundred in Perth. He wouldn’t be selected 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 full lineup when picking their squad, and strategies may shift. 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 confirm where both batsmen are slotted to play. Some uncertainty in sports is a positive, but manufacturing it out of the broadly obvious is needless. For those aiming of engaging fans, communication goes a long way.