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

Typically, an unchanged squad would not attract attention, but this time it is, due to the anticipated changes involving Pat Cummins and Usman Khawaja, neither of which has now eventuated.

Cummins is the surprise for not being included, with the regular captain and pace spearhead deep into his recovery from initial symptoms 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 continue his preparations.”

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. In theory, Cummins could even join the Brisbane squad in the next few days if deemed fit by staff. However, the explanations seem inconsistent.

Going back to when his medical tests came back positive in October, initiating the countdown on his buildup to match fitness, all public commentary from the bowler himself and timelines from CA indicated he would just be unavailable for the first Test and was set to practice at close to full intensity 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.”

Once Cummins got back 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 training with a pink ball, presumably as preparation for the day-night Test.

So, why the change of plans, well over a month since he indicated requiring four weeks to build up his workload, and with less than a week to go in the Gabba? Additionally, there are eight more days of rest between Brisbane and the third Test. If the latter is Cummins’ destination, it will be more than seven weeks since he resumed bowling.

This is acceptable: prognoses can change, medical staff can be conservative, players can be cautious. It’s just peculiar is that during the most anticipated and closely followed Test series in the season, the governing body’s representatives don’t appear to consider it necessary to provide 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 muscle spasms in the first Test during two paltry fielding innings, preventing the regular batsman from doing so in both innings and from having any influence when he eventually batted. Though he may have improved, the newness of the problem surely leaves some risk that they could return in the heat of the next Test.

With Khawaja in the squad suggests he is due to resume the top order, even though Travis Head made a record-setting century in his place. He wouldn’t be selected as a backup or to play lower. Once more, there is no confirmation about this, only the squad listing.

This doesn’t mean that teams should have to give a whole XI 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 cause no issue to clarify where those two players are slotted to play. Some uncertainty in sports is a positive, but manufacturing it out of the clearly evident is unnecessary. For those aiming of winning over audiences, communication goes a long way.