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One might speculate whether Cricket Australia intentionally chooses to be opaque about player availability or simply has a deficiency in public relations, but once 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 identical team list would not be much news, but this time it is, thanks to the anticipated changes involving both key players, neither of which has come to pass.

Cummins is the surprise for his omission, with the team skipper and fast-bowling leader 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 further his training.”

Suggestions from within CA support the view that everything is on track and his recovery remains happily on track, with a likely addition to the side soon. Theoretically, he might still be added to the Test squad in the next few days if he and management so choose. However, 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 public commentary from the player and timelines from CA suggested he would only narrowly miss the initial match and was set to practice at close to full intensity with the team during the match. Coach Andrew McDonald said, “Cummins will be fit to bowl in Perth, and fans will wonder why he’s not playing.”

Once Cummins got back to Sydney following the team’s raucous two-day win, he was observed practicing in the New South Wales nets without any apparent limitations 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 he indicated requiring a month to prepare his workload, and with less than a week to go in Brisbane? Additionally, there are eight more days of rest between matches. If the latter is Cummins’ destination, it will be over two months since he resumed bowling.

This is acceptable: prognoses can change, doctors may be cautious, 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 seem not to think it necessary to provide updates about the skipper’s condition or the changing nature 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 playing his role in both innings and from making an impact when he eventually batted. Though he may have improved, the newness of the problem creates concern that they might recur in the pressure of Brisbane.

With Khawaja in the squad suggests he is due to resume opening the batting, even though his replacement scored a historic hundred in Perth. He wouldn’t be selected as a reserve or to bat down the order. Once more, there is no official information about this, only the squad listing.

This doesn’t mean that sides must reveal a full lineup when picking their squad, and strategies may shift. But some plans are firmer than others, and considering how Travis Head’s explosive performance captured public attention, it would cause no issue to clarify where both batsmen are due to bat. A bit of mystery in life is a good thing, but manufacturing it out of the broadly obvious is unnecessary. If you’re in the business of engaging fans, transparency is crucial.