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You could wonder whether the Australian cricket board deliberately prefers to be opaque about team selection or simply lacks effectiveness in public relations, but once again, the health status of athletes and the makeup of the XI must be inferred from the 14-player squad announcement for the second Ashes Test.

Typically, an identical team list would not be much news, but this time it is, due to the anticipated changes involving Pat Cummins and Usman Khawaja, neither of which has now eventuated.

The unexpected element is Cummins for not being included, with the regular captain and pace spearhead deep into his recovery from initial symptoms of a back injury. The only public acknowledgment was a brief mention with the team announcement stating that Cummins is scheduled to go to Brisbane to further his training.”

Suggestions from within CA indicate that everything is on track and his healing is proceeding well, with a likely addition to the team in the near future. Theoretically, Cummins could even join the Test squad in the next few days if he and management so choose. But still, something the claims doesn’t add up.

Going back to when his medical tests came back positive in October, starting the clock on his return to play, all public commentary from the player and board schedules indicated he would only narrowly miss the initial match and was set to practice at nearly full tilt with the team during the match. Coach Andrew McDonald said, “He will be up and bowling 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, what one would assume as readiness for the Brisbane day-night game.

So, why the change of plans, more than four weeks since Cummins said he would need 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.

This is acceptable: medical opinions evolve, doctors may be cautious, athletes might take care. It’s just peculiar is that during the most anticipated and closely followed Test series in Australia’s calendar, 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.

And if caution is the watchword with the captain, the reverse is true with the opener’s issue. He had spasms flare up in Perth during brief periods on the field, keeping Australia’s usual opener 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 newness of the problem surely leaves some risk that they could return in the pressure of Brisbane.

With Khawaja in the squad suggests he is set to return to the top order, even though Travis Head made a record-setting century 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.

This doesn’t mean that teams should have to give a full lineup when announcing selections, and plans can change. But some plans are firmer than others, and given the way Travis Head’s explosive performance drew fan interest, 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. For those aiming of engaging fans, transparency is crucial.