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You could wonder whether the Australian cricket board intentionally chooses to be opaque about player availability or simply lacks effectiveness in communications, but once again, the health status of athletes and the makeup of the XI must be deduced from the 14-player squad announcement for the Brisbane match.

Normally, an identical team list would not be much news, but on this occasion it is, due to the anticipated changes involving Pat Cummins and Usman Khawaja, neither of which has now eventuated.

Cummins is the surprise for his omission, with the team skipper and pace spearhead deep into his recovery from initial symptoms of a back injury. The only public acknowledgment was a cursory line with the team announcement stating that Cummins is scheduled to go to Brisbane to continue his preparations.”

Insider reports support the view that everything is on track and his healing is proceeding well, with a probable return to the side soon. Theoretically, he might still be added to the Test squad in coming days if deemed fit by staff. However, the explanations seem inconsistent.

Going back to when his medical tests came back positive in last month, initiating the countdown on his return to play, all official statements from the player and timelines from CA suggested he would only narrowly miss the first Test and was scheduled to train at close to full intensity with the squad in Perth. The head coach remarked, “He will be up and bowling in Perth, and fans will wonder why he’s not playing.”

Once Cummins got back to Sydney following the victory in the west, he was observed practicing in the New South Wales nets without any apparent limitations and, importantly, was using a pink Kookaburra ball, presumably as readiness for the Brisbane day-night game.

What prompted the shift, well over a month since Cummins said he would need four weeks to build up bowling loads, and with six days until the first ball in Brisbane? Not to mention, there are eight more days of rest between matches. Should he target Adelaide, it will be more than seven weeks since he resumed bowling.

That in itself is fine: medical opinions evolve, medical staff can be conservative, athletes might take care. It’s just peculiar is that during the most anticipated and closely followed Test series in Australia’s calendar, the board officials seem not to think it reasonable to share any information about the skipper’s condition or the changing nature of either.

And if caution is the watchword with Cummins, the reverse is true with Khawaja’s back injury. 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 did bat down the order. Though he may have improved, the fact he’d not experienced them before creates concern that they could return in the heat of the next Test.

His inclusion suggests he is due to resume opening the batting, even though Travis Head made a record-setting century in Perth. Khawaja wouldn’t be picked as a reserve or to play lower. Once more, there is no official information about this, only the squad listing.

It isn’t necessary that sides must reveal a whole XI when announcing selections, and plans can change. However, certain decisions are clearer than others, and given the way Travis Head’s explosive performance drew fan interest, it would cause no issue to clarify where both batsmen are slotted to play. A bit of mystery in sports is a positive, but creating it out of the clearly evident is unnecessary. If you’re in the business of winning over audiences, communication goes a long way.