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One might speculate whether the Australian cricket board deliberately prefers to be unclear about team selection or simply lacks effectiveness in communications, but once again, the health status of athletes and final team composition must be deduced from the selection in the larger squad for the Brisbane match.

Normally, an identical team list would not be much news, but on this occasion it is, due to the anticipated changes involving Pat Cummins and Usman Khawaja, neither of which has now eventuated.

The unexpected element is Cummins for his omission, with the regular captain and pace spearhead deep into his recovery from initial symptoms of a back injury. The sole official statement was a cursory line with the team announcement stating that “Pat Cummins will travel to Brisbane to continue his preparations.”

Insider reports support the view that this is all situation normal and his recovery remains happily on track, with a likely addition to the side soon. In theory, he might still be added to the Brisbane squad in coming days if deemed fit by staff. But still, the explanations seem inconsistent.

Going back to when Cummins’ scans were cleared in last month, initiating the countdown on his buildup to match fitness, all public commentary from the bowler himself and board schedules 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, “Cummins will be fit to bowl 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 New South Wales nets without any apparent limitations and, importantly, was using a pink Kookaburra ball, what one would assume as readiness for the Brisbane day-night game.

What prompted the shift, more than four weeks since Cummins said he would need a month to prepare bowling loads, and with less than a week to go in Brisbane? Not to mention, 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, players can be cautious. It’s just peculiar is that during the high-profile Test series in the season, the governing body’s representatives don’t appear to consider 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 reverse is true with the opener’s issue. He had muscle spasms in the first Test during two paltry fielding innings, keeping Australia’s usual opener from playing his role in both innings and from having any influence 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 pressure of Brisbane.

His inclusion logically means he is due to resume the top order, even though his replacement scored a historic hundred in Perth. He wouldn’t be selected as a reserve or to play lower. Once more, there is no confirmation about this, just the selection.

This doesn’t mean that sides must reveal a whole XI when announcing selections, and strategies may shift. But some plans are firmer than others, and given the way Head’s whirlwind drew fan interest, it would do no harm to confirm where both batsmen are slotted to play. A bit of mystery in life is a positive, but manufacturing it out of the broadly obvious is unnecessary. For those aiming of engaging fans, transparency is crucial.