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You could wonder whether Cricket Australia deliberately prefers to be opaque about team selection or simply has a deficiency in communications, but yet again, the fitness of players and final team composition must be deduced from the selection in the larger squad for the Brisbane match.

Typically, an unchanged squad would not attract attention, but this time it is, due to the possible movement 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 progressing in rehabilitation from early signs of a stress fracture. The only public acknowledgment was a brief mention with the team announcement stating that Cummins is scheduled to go to Brisbane to continue his preparations.”

Suggestions from within CA indicate that everything is on track and his recovery remains happily on track, with a likely addition to the side soon. In theory, Cummins could even join the Brisbane squad in the next few days if he and management so choose. But still, something the claims doesn’t add up.

Recalling when Cummins’ scans were cleared in October, starting the clock on his return to play, all official statements from the player and timelines from CA indicated he would only narrowly miss the first Test and was scheduled to train at close to full intensity with the team during the match. Coach Andrew McDonald said, “Cummins will be fit to bowl 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 seen bowling in the New South Wales nets without any visible restrictions 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 he indicated requiring four weeks to build up his workload, and with less than a week to go in the Gabba? Additionally, there are over a week’s break between matches. If the latter is Cummins’ destination, it will be over two months since he resumed bowling.

This is acceptable: medical opinions evolve, medical staff can be conservative, athletes might take care. 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 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 opposite applies with the opener’s issue. He had muscle spasms in the first Test during brief periods on the field, preventing the regular batsman from playing his role in both innings 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 opening the batting, even though his replacement scored a historic hundred in his place. Khawaja wouldn’t be picked as a reserve or to bat down the order. Once more, there is no confirmation 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. But some plans are firmer than others, and given the way Travis Head’s explosive performance captured public attention, it would do no harm to clarify where those two players are due to bat. Some uncertainty in sports is a good thing, but creating it out of the broadly obvious is unnecessary. If you’re in the business of engaging fans, transparency is crucial.