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One might speculate whether Cricket Australia intentionally chooses to be unclear about player availability or simply lacks effectiveness in public relations, but yet again, the fitness of players and final team composition must be deduced from the 14-player squad announcement for the second Ashes Test.

Normally, an unchanged squad would not attract attention, but this time it is, due to the possible movement involving both key players, neither 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 early signs of a stress fracture. The sole official statement was a cursory line with the team announcement stating that Cummins is scheduled to go to Brisbane to continue his preparations.”

Suggestions from within CA support the view that everything is on track and his healing is proceeding well, with a likely addition to the side soon. Theoretically, Cummins could even join the Brisbane squad in coming days if deemed fit by staff. But still, something the claims doesn’t add up.

Going back to when Cummins’ scans were cleared in last month, starting the clock on his return to play, all public commentary from the player and timelines from CA indicated he would only narrowly miss the first Test and was scheduled to train at close to full intensity with the team during the match. The head coach remarked, “He will be up and bowling in Perth, and fans will wonder why he’s not playing.”

Once Cummins got back to his home city 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 readiness for the Brisbane day-night game.

So, why the change of plans, well over a month since he indicated requiring four weeks to build up bowling loads, 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 resumed bowling.

This is acceptable: prognoses can change, doctors may be cautious, athletes might take care. It’s just peculiar is that during the high-profile Ashes contest in Australia’s calendar, 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.

And if caution is the watchword with Cummins, the reverse is true with Khawaja’s back injury. He had muscle spasms in Perth during brief periods on the field, keeping Australia’s usual opener from playing his role in the match 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 surely leaves some risk that they might recur in the heat of the next Test.

His inclusion suggests he is set to return to opening the batting, even though Travis Head made a record-setting century in his place. He wouldn’t be selected as a reserve or to bat down the order. Once more, there is no official information about this, only the squad listing.

This doesn’t mean that teams should have to give a whole XI when picking their squad, and strategies may shift. However, certain decisions are clearer than others, and given the way Head’s whirlwind captured public attention, it would do no harm to clarify where both batsmen are slotted to play. Some uncertainty in life is a good thing, but creating it out of the broadly obvious is needless. For those aiming of winning over audiences, communication goes a long way.