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You could wonder whether Cricket Australia intentionally chooses to be opaque about player availability or simply has a deficiency in communications, but yet 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.

Typically, an unchanged squad would not be much news, but this time it is, thanks to the possible movement involving Pat Cummins and Usman Khawaja, neither of which has come to pass.

Cummins is the surprise for his omission, with the regular captain and fast-bowling leader progressing in rehabilitation from initial symptoms of a stress fracture. The only public acknowledgment was a cursory line with the squad release stating that Cummins is scheduled to go 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 probable return to the team in the near future. In theory, Cummins could even join the Test squad in the next few days if he and management so choose. However, something the claims doesn’t add up.

Recalling when his medical tests came back positive in last month, starting the clock on his buildup to match fitness, all official statements from the bowler himself and timelines from CA suggested he would just be unavailable for the first Test and was set to practice 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 team’s raucous two-day win, he was seen bowling in the New South Wales nets without any visible restrictions and, most notably, was training with a pink ball, what one would assume as preparation for the day-night Test.

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? Not to mention, there are eight more days of rest between Brisbane and the third Test. Should he target Adelaide, it will be more than seven weeks since he started training again.

This is acceptable: prognoses can change, medical staff can be conservative, athletes might take care. 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 reasonable to share any information about the skipper’s condition or the evolving status of either.

And if caution is the watchword with Cummins, the reverse is true with the opener’s issue. He had spasms flare up in the first Test during brief periods on the field, keeping Australia’s usual opener from doing so in the match and from making an impact when he did bat down the order. Even if his symptoms have subsided, the fact he’d not experienced them before surely leaves some risk that they could return in the pressure of Brisbane.

With Khawaja in the squad suggests he is due to resume the top order, even though his replacement scored a historic hundred in Perth. Khawaja wouldn’t be picked as a backup or to play lower. Once more, there is no official information about this, just the selection.

This doesn’t mean that teams should have to give a full lineup when announcing selections, and plans can change. But some plans are firmer than others, and given the way Travis Head’s explosive performance captured public attention, it would do no harm to confirm where those two players are due to bat. Some uncertainty in sports is a good thing, but creating it out of the broadly obvious is unnecessary. For those aiming of engaging fans, transparency is crucial.