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One might speculate whether the Australian cricket board deliberately prefers 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, due to the anticipated changes involving Pat Cummins and Usman Khawaja, none of which has come to pass.

Cummins is the surprise for not being included, 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 further his training.”

Insider reports support the view that everything is on track and his recovery remains happily on track, with a likely addition to the side soon. In theory, Cummins could even join the Test squad in coming days if he and management so choose. However, something the claims doesn’t add up.

Going back to when Cummins’ scans were cleared in last month, starting the clock on his return to play, all official statements from the bowler himself and timelines from CA suggested he would just be unavailable for the initial match 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.”

After returning to his home city following the victory in the west, 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, well over a month since Cummins said he would need a month to prepare bowling loads, and with six days until the first ball in Brisbane? 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 over two months since he started training again.

That in itself is fine: medical opinions evolve, medical staff can be conservative, athletes might take care. What’s strange is that during the high-profile Test series in Australia’s calendar, the board officials don’t appear to consider it necessary to provide updates about the captain’s fitness and availability or the changing nature of either.

And if caution is the watchword 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, preventing the regular batsman from doing so in both innings and from having any influence when he did bat down the order. Even if his symptoms have subsided, the fact he’d not experienced them before creates concern that they might recur in the heat of the next Test.

His inclusion logically means he is set to return to opening the batting, even though Travis Head made a record-setting century in his place. Khawaja wouldn’t be picked as a reserve or to play lower. But again, there is no confirmation about this, only the squad listing.

It isn’t necessary that teams should have to give a full lineup when picking their squad, 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 slotted to play. Some uncertainty in life is a positive, but manufacturing it out of the broadly obvious is unnecessary. For those aiming of engaging fans, communication goes a long way.