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You could wonder whether Cricket Australia deliberately prefers to be opaque about team selection or simply has a deficiency in communications, but once again, the fitness of players and the makeup of the XI must be deduced from the 14-player squad announcement for the Brisbane match.

Typically, an unchanged squad would not be much news, but on this occasion it is, thanks to the possible movement involving both key players, neither of which has now eventuated.

The unexpected element is Cummins for his omission, with the regular captain and fast-bowling leader progressing in rehabilitation from initial symptoms of a stress fracture. The sole official statement was a cursory line with the squad release stating that Cummins is scheduled to go to Brisbane to continue his preparations.”

Suggestions from within CA indicate that everything is on track 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 he and management so choose. But still, something the claims doesn’t add up.

Recalling when his medical tests came back positive in last month, initiating the countdown on his return to play, all official statements from the player and board schedules suggested he would just be unavailable for the first Test and was set to practice at close to full intensity with the team during the match. Coach Andrew McDonald said, “He will be up and bowling in Perth, and fans will wonder why he’s not playing.”

After returning to his home city following the victory in the west, he was seen bowling in the New South Wales nets without any apparent limitations and, most notably, was training with a pink ball, what one would assume as preparation for the day-night Test.

What prompted the shift, more than four weeks since Cummins said he would need a month to prepare his workload, and with less than a week to go in the Gabba? Not to mention, there are over a week’s break between matches. Should he target Adelaide, it will be more than seven weeks since he resumed bowling.

That in itself is fine: prognoses can change, medical staff can be conservative, players can be cautious. What’s strange is that during the most anticipated and closely followed Test series 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 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 Perth during two paltry fielding innings, preventing the regular batsman from doing so in both innings and from making an impact when he eventually batted. Though he may have improved, the fact he’d not experienced them before creates concern that they could return in the pressure of Brisbane.

With Khawaja in the squad logically means he is set to return to the top order, even though his replacement scored a historic hundred in Perth. He wouldn’t be selected as a backup or to play lower. 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 announcing selections, and plans can change. However, certain decisions are clearer than others, and given the way Travis Head’s explosive performance captured public attention, it would cause no issue to confirm where those two players are due to bat. Some uncertainty in life is a positive, but manufacturing it out of the clearly evident is unnecessary. For those aiming of winning over audiences, communication goes a long way.