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One might speculate whether the Australian cricket board intentionally chooses to be unclear about player availability or simply lacks effectiveness in public relations, but once again, the health status of athletes and final team composition must be inferred from the selection in the larger squad for the Brisbane match.

Normally, an unchanged squad would not attract attention, but this time it is, due to the possible movement involving Pat Cummins and Usman Khawaja, neither of which has come to pass.

The unexpected element is Cummins for his omission, with the team skipper and fast-bowling leader 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 indicate that everything is on track and his recovery remains happily on track, with a likely addition to the side soon. Theoretically, he might still be added to the Brisbane squad in the next few days if he and management so choose. However, the explanations seem inconsistent.

Recalling when Cummins’ scans were cleared in last month, starting the clock on his return to play, all public commentary from the bowler himself and board schedules indicated he would just be unavailable for the initial match and was scheduled to train at close to full intensity with the team during the match. The head coach remarked, “He will be up and bowling 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 seen bowling in the state facilities 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 bowling loads, and with six days until the first ball in the Gabba? Not to mention, there are over a week’s break between Brisbane and the third Test. Should he target Adelaide, it will be over two months 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 Ashes contest in Australia’s calendar, the board officials don’t appear to consider it reasonable to share any information about the skipper’s condition or the changing nature of either.

If care is the priority with the captain, the opposite applies with Khawaja’s back injury. He had muscle spasms in the first Test during brief periods on the field, keeping Australia’s usual opener from doing so in both innings and from making an impact 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.

His inclusion suggests he is due to resume the top order, even though his replacement scored a historic hundred in Perth. Khawaja wouldn’t be picked as a backup or to play lower. Once more, there is no official information about this, just the selection.

This doesn’t mean that sides must reveal a full lineup when picking their squad, 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 confirm where both batsmen are slotted to play. A bit of mystery in life is a positive, but creating it out of the broadly obvious is unnecessary. For those aiming of winning over audiences, communication goes a long way.