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You could wonder whether Cricket Australia deliberately prefers to be unclear about player availability or simply lacks effectiveness in communications, but once again, the health status of athletes and final team composition must be inferred from the selection in the larger squad for the Brisbane match.

Typically, an unchanged squad would not be much news, but this time it is, thanks to the possible movement involving both key players, none of which has come to pass.

Cummins is the surprise for his omission, with the regular captain and pace spearhead progressing in rehabilitation from early signs of a stress fracture. The only public acknowledgment was a cursory line with the squad release stating that “Pat Cummins will travel to Brisbane to further his training.”

Insider reports indicate that everything is on track and his recovery remains happily on track, with a probable return to the team in the near future. Theoretically, Cummins could even join the Test squad in coming days if he and management so choose. However, the explanations seem inconsistent.

Going back to when Cummins’ scans were cleared in last month, initiating the countdown on his return to play, all official statements from the bowler himself and board schedules suggested he would just be unavailable for the first Test and was set to practice at nearly full tilt with the team during the match. 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 team’s raucous two-day win, 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 preparation for the day-night Test.

What prompted the shift, 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 Brisbane and the third Test. If the latter is Cummins’ destination, it will be more than seven weeks since he resumed bowling.

This is acceptable: prognoses can change, medical staff can be conservative, athletes might take care. What’s strange is that during the most anticipated and closely followed Ashes contest in the season, the board officials don’t appear to consider it reasonable to share any information about the captain’s fitness and availability or the changing nature of either.

If care is the priority 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 doing so in the match and from making an impact when he did bat down the order. Though he may have improved, the newness of the problem creates concern that they could return in the pressure of Brisbane.

His inclusion suggests he is set to return to opening the batting, even though his replacement scored a historic hundred in his place. He wouldn’t be selected as a reserve or to bat down the order. But again, there is no confirmation about this, just the selection.

It isn’t necessary that teams should have to give a full lineup when picking their squad, and plans can change. But some plans are firmer than others, and considering how Head’s whirlwind drew fan interest, it would do no harm to clarify where those two players are due to bat. Some uncertainty in sports is a positive, but manufacturing it out of the clearly evident is needless. If you’re in the business of winning over audiences, transparency is crucial.