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You could wonder whether Cricket Australia intentionally chooses to be unclear about player availability or simply has a deficiency in communications, but once again, the health status of athletes and final team composition must be inferred from the 14-player squad announcement for the second Ashes Test.

Typically, an identical team list would not attract attention, but on this occasion it is, thanks to the anticipated changes involving both key players, none of which has now eventuated.

Cummins is the surprise for not being included, with the regular captain and pace spearhead progressing in rehabilitation from early signs of a stress fracture. The only public acknowledgment was a cursory line with the team announcement stating that Cummins is scheduled to go to Brisbane to further his training.”

Insider reports indicate 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 Brisbane squad in coming days if deemed fit by staff. However, the explanations seem inconsistent.

Recalling when his medical tests came back positive in last month, initiating the countdown on his buildup to match fitness, all official statements from the player and timelines from CA indicated he would just be unavailable for the first Test and was scheduled to train at close to full intensity with the team during the match. 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 state facilities without any apparent limitations and, most notably, was using a pink Kookaburra ball, presumably as readiness for the Brisbane day-night game.

What prompted the shift, more than four weeks since he indicated requiring a month to prepare his workload, and with six days until the first ball in Brisbane? Not to mention, there are eight more days of rest between matches. If the latter is Cummins’ destination, it will be over two months since he started training again.

That in itself is fine: medical opinions evolve, doctors may be cautious, athletes might take care. What’s strange is that during the most anticipated and closely followed Test series in Australia’s calendar, the governing body’s representatives seem not to think it necessary to provide 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 Khawaja’s back injury. He had spasms flare up in the first Test during brief periods on the field, preventing the regular batsman from playing his role in the match and from making an impact when he did bat down the order. Even if his symptoms have subsided, 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 his place. Khawaja wouldn’t be picked as a backup or to bat down the order. But again, there is no official information about this, just the selection.

It isn’t necessary that teams should have to give 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 confirm where both batsmen are due to bat. Some uncertainty in life is a good thing, but manufacturing it out of the broadly obvious is needless. If you’re in the business of engaging fans, communication goes a long way.