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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 14-player squad announcement for the Brisbane match.

Normally, an identical team list would not attract attention, but on this occasion it is, thanks 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 fast-bowling leader deep into his recovery from initial symptoms of a stress fracture. The sole official statement was a cursory line with the squad release stating that “Pat Cummins will travel to Brisbane to continue his preparations.”

Insider reports support the view that everything is on track and his recovery remains happily on track, with a probable return to the team in the near future. Theoretically, he might still be added to the Brisbane squad in the next few days if he and management so choose. However, the explanations seem inconsistent.

Recalling when Cummins’ scans were cleared in October, starting the clock on his buildup to match fitness, all public commentary from the player and timelines from CA indicated he would only narrowly miss the first Test and was set to practice 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 his home city following the victory in the west, he was seen bowling in the state facilities without any apparent limitations and, importantly, was using a pink Kookaburra ball, what one would assume as preparation for the day-night Test.

What prompted the shift, well over a month since he indicated requiring four weeks to build up his workload, and with six days until the first ball in the Gabba? Not to mention, there are over a week’s break between matches. If the latter is Cummins’ destination, it will be more than seven weeks since he started training again.

This is acceptable: prognoses can change, doctors may be cautious, players can be cautious. What’s strange is that during the high-profile Test series in the season, the board officials seem not to think it reasonable to share updates about the captain’s fitness and availability or the changing nature of either.

If care is the priority with Cummins, the opposite applies with the opener’s issue. He had spasms flare up in the first Test during two paltry fielding innings, preventing the regular batsman 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 newness of the problem creates concern that they might recur in the pressure of Brisbane.

With Khawaja in the squad suggests he is set to return to the top order, even though his replacement scored a historic hundred in Perth. Khawaja wouldn’t be picked as a reserve or to play lower. But again, there is no confirmation about this, just the selection.

It isn’t necessary that teams should have to give a whole XI when announcing selections, and plans can change. However, certain decisions are clearer than others, and given the way Travis Head’s explosive performance drew fan interest, it would cause no issue to confirm where those two players are due to bat. Some uncertainty in life is a positive, but creating it out of the clearly evident is unnecessary. For those aiming of winning over audiences, communication goes a long way.