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One might speculate whether Cricket Australia deliberately prefers to be opaque about team selection or simply lacks effectiveness in communications, but once again, the fitness of players and the makeup of the XI must be inferred from the selection in the larger squad for the Brisbane match.

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 come to pass.

The unexpected element is Cummins for his omission, with the team skipper and fast-bowling leader progressing in rehabilitation from initial symptoms of a back injury. The sole official statement was a brief mention with the squad release stating that “Pat Cummins will travel to Brisbane to further his training.”

Suggestions from within CA support the view that everything is on track and his recovery remains happily on track, with a probable return to the team in the near future. Theoretically, Cummins could even join the Brisbane 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 October, starting the clock on his return to play, all official statements from the bowler himself and timelines from CA suggested he would only narrowly miss the initial match and was scheduled to train at close to full intensity with the squad in Perth. The head coach remarked, “He will be up and bowling in Perth, and fans will wonder why he’s not playing.”

After returning to his home city following the team’s raucous two-day win, he was seen bowling in the state facilities without any visible restrictions and, importantly, was training with a pink 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 the Gabba? Additionally, there are over a week’s break between matches. If the latter is Cummins’ destination, it will be more than seven weeks 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 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 the captain, the reverse is true with the opener’s issue. He had spasms flare up in Perth during two paltry fielding innings, keeping Australia’s usual opener from playing his role in the match 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 might recur in the heat of the next Test.

With Khawaja in the squad suggests he is set to return to the top order, even though his replacement scored a historic hundred in his place. He wouldn’t be selected as a reserve or to play lower. But again, there is no official information about this, only the squad listing.

It isn’t necessary that teams should have to give a full lineup when announcing selections, and strategies may shift. However, certain decisions are clearer than others, and given the way Travis Head’s explosive performance captured public attention, it would do no harm to confirm where those two players are slotted to play. Some uncertainty in life is a good thing, but creating it out of the broadly obvious is needless. If you’re in the business of engaging fans, communication goes a long way.