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You could wonder whether the Australian cricket board deliberately prefers to be opaque about player availability or simply has a deficiency in public relations, 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.

Normally, an unchanged squad would not attract attention, but this time it is, due to the possible movement involving Pat Cummins and Usman Khawaja, none of which has come to pass.

The unexpected element is Cummins for not being included, with the team skipper and pace spearhead deep into his recovery from initial symptoms of a back injury. The only public acknowledgment was a cursory line with the team announcement stating that “Pat Cummins will travel to Brisbane to further his training.”

Suggestions from within CA support the view that this is all situation normal and his healing is proceeding well, with a likely addition to the side soon. In theory, he might still be added to the Test squad in the next few days if he and management so choose. But still, the explanations seem inconsistent.

Recalling when Cummins’ scans were cleared in October, starting the clock on his return to play, all public commentary from the player and board schedules indicated he would just be unavailable for the initial match and was scheduled to train at nearly full tilt with the squad in Perth. The head coach remarked, “He will be up and bowling in Perth, and people will be sitting there questioning why he’s not playing.”

After returning to Sydney following the victory in the west, he was seen bowling in the state facilities without any apparent limitations and, most notably, was using a pink Kookaburra ball, what one would assume as preparation for the day-night Test.

So, why the change of plans, more than four weeks since Cummins said he would need 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 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 Test series in Australia’s calendar, the governing body’s representatives don’t appear to consider it reasonable to share any information about the skipper’s condition or the changing nature of either.

And if caution is the watchword with the captain, the opposite applies with Khawaja’s back injury. He had spasms flare up in the first Test during two paltry fielding innings, keeping Australia’s usual opener from doing so in the match and from having any influence when he eventually batted. Even if his symptoms have subsided, the newness of the problem creates concern that they might recur in the pressure of Brisbane.

His inclusion logically means he is due to resume 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 official information about this, only the squad listing.

It isn’t necessary that sides must reveal a whole XI when picking their squad, 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 cause no issue to confirm where both batsmen are due to bat. Some uncertainty in life is a good thing, but manufacturing it out of the broadly obvious is unnecessary. If you’re in the business of winning over audiences, communication goes a long way.