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You could wonder whether Cricket Australia intentionally chooses to be opaque about team selection or simply has a deficiency in communications, but yet again, the fitness of players and final team composition must be inferred from the selection in the larger squad for the second Ashes Test.

Typically, an identical team list would not attract attention, but on this occasion it is, due to the anticipated changes involving Pat Cummins and Usman Khawaja, none of which has now eventuated.

Cummins is the surprise for his omission, with the regular captain and pace spearhead deep into his recovery from early signs of a stress fracture. The only public acknowledgment was a brief mention with the squad release 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 recovery remains happily on track, with a likely addition to the team in the near future. In theory, Cummins could even join the Brisbane squad in coming days if deemed fit by staff. But still, the explanations seem inconsistent.

Recalling when Cummins’ scans were cleared in last month, initiating the countdown 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 initial match and was scheduled to train at nearly full tilt with the team during the match. Coach Andrew McDonald said, “Cummins will be fit to bowl in Perth, and fans will wonder why he’s not playing.”

After returning 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, presumably as readiness for the Brisbane day-night game.

What prompted the shift, well over a month 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 matches. Should he target Adelaide, 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 most anticipated and closely followed Ashes contest in the season, the governing body’s representatives don’t appear to consider it reasonable to share updates about the captain’s fitness and availability or the evolving status 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 brief periods on the field, preventing the regular batsman from playing his role 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 surely leaves some risk that they might recur in the heat of the next Test.

His inclusion 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. But again, there is no confirmation about this, only the squad listing.

This doesn’t mean that sides must reveal a whole XI when picking their squad, and strategies may shift. However, certain decisions are clearer than others, and considering how Head’s whirlwind captured public attention, it would cause no issue to confirm where those two players are due to bat. Some uncertainty in life is a good thing, but creating it out of the broadly obvious is needless. If you’re in the business of winning over audiences, transparency is crucial.