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One might speculate whether Cricket Australia deliberately prefers to be unclear about team selection or simply has a deficiency in communications, but once again, the fitness of players and final team composition must be deduced from the 14-player squad announcement for the second Ashes Test.

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

Cummins is the surprise for his omission, with the team skipper and fast-bowling leader deep into his recovery from initial symptoms of a stress fracture. The only public acknowledgment was a brief mention with the squad release stating that Cummins is scheduled to go to Brisbane to further his training.”

Suggestions from within CA support the view that everything is on track and his healing is proceeding well, with a probable return to the team in the near future. In theory, Cummins could even join the Test squad in coming days if deemed fit by staff. But still, the explanations seem inconsistent.

Going back to when his medical tests came back positive in last month, initiating the countdown on his return to play, all official statements 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 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 observed practicing in the state facilities without any visible restrictions and, importantly, was using a pink Kookaburra ball, presumably as preparation for the day-night Test.

What prompted the shift, well over a month since Cummins said he would need a month to prepare his workload, and with less than a week to go in the Gabba? Additionally, there are over a week’s break between matches. Should he target Adelaide, it will be more than seven weeks since he started training again.

That in itself is fine: prognoses can change, doctors may be cautious, athletes might take care. What’s strange is that during the high-profile Ashes contest in the season, the governing body’s representatives don’t appear to consider it reasonable to share updates about the captain’s fitness and availability or the evolving status of either.

And if caution is the watchword with the captain, the opposite applies with the opener’s issue. He had spasms flare up in the first Test during brief periods on the field, preventing the regular batsman from doing so in the match and from making an impact 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 could return in the heat of the next Test.

His inclusion suggests he is set to return to the top order, even though Travis Head made a record-setting century in Perth. Khawaja wouldn’t be picked as a backup or to play lower. But again, there is no confirmation about this, just the selection.

This doesn’t mean that teams should have to give a full lineup when announcing selections, and strategies may shift. But some plans are firmer than others, and considering how Head’s whirlwind captured public attention, it would do no harm to clarify where those two players are slotted to play. Some uncertainty in sports is a positive, but creating it out of the clearly evident is needless. If you’re in the business of engaging fans, communication goes a long way.