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You could wonder whether the Australian cricket board intentionally chooses to be unclear about team selection or simply lacks effectiveness in communications, but yet again, the health status of athletes and final team composition must be inferred from the 14-player squad announcement for the second Ashes Test.

Normally, an unchanged squad would not be much news, but this time it is, thanks to the anticipated changes involving Pat Cummins and Usman Khawaja, neither of which has come to pass.

The unexpected element is Cummins for not being included, with the regular captain and fast-bowling leader progressing in rehabilitation from early signs of a stress fracture. The sole official statement was a cursory line with the team announcement stating that “Pat Cummins will travel to Brisbane to further his training.”

Suggestions from within CA indicate that everything is on track and his recovery remains happily on track, 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. But still, the explanations seem inconsistent.

Going back to when Cummins’ scans were cleared in October, starting the clock on his buildup to match fitness, all public commentary from the bowler himself and timelines from CA suggested he would just be unavailable for the first Test and was set to practice at close to full intensity 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 Sydney following the team’s raucous two-day win, he was observed practicing 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 the Gabba? Not to mention, there are over a week’s break between Brisbane and the third Test. If the latter is Cummins’ destination, it will be more than seven weeks since he resumed bowling.

That in itself is fine: prognoses can change, medical staff can be conservative, athletes might take care. What’s strange is that during the most anticipated and closely followed Ashes contest in the season, the governing body’s representatives don’t appear to consider it reasonable to share any information about the skipper’s condition or the evolving status of either.

If care is the priority with Cummins, the opposite applies with the opener’s issue. He had spasms flare up in Perth during two paltry fielding innings, preventing the regular batsman from playing his role in the match and from making an impact when he eventually batted. Even if his symptoms have subsided, the fact he’d not experienced them before creates concern that they could return in the heat of the next Test.

With Khawaja in the squad logically means he is due to resume opening the batting, even though his replacement scored a historic hundred in Perth. Khawaja wouldn’t be picked as a backup or to bat down the order. But again, there is no confirmation about this, just the selection.

This doesn’t mean that sides must reveal a whole XI when picking their squad, and plans can change. But some plans are firmer than others, and considering how Travis Head’s explosive performance drew fan interest, it would cause no issue to confirm where those two players are slotted to play. Some uncertainty in sports is a good thing, but manufacturing it out of the broadly obvious is needless. If you’re in the business of engaging fans, transparency is crucial.