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You could wonder whether Cricket Australia intentionally chooses to be opaque about team selection or simply lacks effectiveness in communications, but yet again, the health status of athletes and the makeup of the XI must be deduced from the selection in the larger squad for the second Ashes Test.

Normally, an identical team list would not be much news, but on this occasion it is, thanks to the anticipated changes 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 pace spearhead progressing in rehabilitation from early signs of a stress fracture. The sole official statement was a brief mention with the team announcement stating that Cummins is scheduled to go to Brisbane to continue his preparations.”

Suggestions from within CA indicate that this is all situation normal 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 he and management so choose. However, something the claims doesn’t add up.

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 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, “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 state facilities 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, more than four weeks since Cummins said he would need a month to prepare bowling loads, and with less than a week to go in Brisbane? Not to mention, there are eight more days of rest between matches. If the latter is Cummins’ destination, it will be more than seven weeks since he resumed bowling.

This is acceptable: prognoses can change, doctors may be cautious, athletes might take care. What’s strange is that during the high-profile Test series in the season, the governing body’s representatives 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 the captain, the reverse is true with Khawaja’s back injury. He had spasms flare up in Perth during brief periods on the field, preventing the regular batsman from doing so in the match and from making an impact when he did bat down the order. Though he may have improved, the fact he’d not experienced them before surely leaves some risk that they could return in the pressure of Brisbane.

With Khawaja in the squad logically means he is set to return to the top order, even though Travis Head made a record-setting century in his place. He wouldn’t be selected as a reserve or to play lower. Once more, there is no confirmation about this, only the squad listing.

This doesn’t mean that sides must reveal a whole XI when announcing selections, and plans can change. But some plans are firmer than others, and given the way Travis Head’s explosive performance captured public attention, it would do no harm to clarify where those two players are due to bat. A bit of mystery in life is a positive, but creating it out of the broadly obvious is needless. For those aiming of winning over audiences, communication goes a long way.