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One might speculate whether Cricket Australia intentionally chooses to be opaque about player availability or simply lacks effectiveness in public relations, but yet again, the health status of athletes and final team composition must be deduced from the 14-player squad announcement for the Brisbane match.

Normally, an unchanged squad would not be much news, but this time it is, due to the anticipated changes involving both key players, neither of which has come to pass.

Cummins is the surprise for not being included, with the regular captain and fast-bowling leader progressing in rehabilitation from early signs of a back injury. The only public acknowledgment was a cursory line with the team announcement stating that Cummins is scheduled to go to Brisbane to continue his preparations.”

Insider reports indicate that this is all situation normal and his recovery remains happily on track, with a likely addition to the side soon. Theoretically, he might still be added to the Brisbane squad in the next few days if he and management so choose. 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 initial match and was set to practice at close to full intensity with the squad in Perth. The head coach remarked, “Cummins will be fit to bowl in Perth, and people will be sitting there questioning why he’s not playing.”

Once Cummins got back to Sydney following the victory in the west, he was seen bowling in the New South Wales nets without any visible restrictions and, most notably, was using a pink Kookaburra ball, presumably as preparation for the day-night Test.

What prompted the shift, well over a month 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 eight more days of rest 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, athletes might take care. What’s strange is that during the most anticipated and closely followed Test series in the season, the board officials don’t appear to consider it necessary to provide updates 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 the opener’s issue. He had spasms flare up in Perth 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. Though he may have improved, the fact he’d not experienced them before creates concern that they might recur in the pressure of Brisbane.

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

This doesn’t mean that sides must reveal a full lineup when announcing selections, and strategies may shift. However, certain decisions are clearer than others, and considering how Travis Head’s explosive performance drew fan interest, it would cause no issue to confirm where both batsmen are due to bat. Some uncertainty in life is a positive, but creating it out of the broadly obvious is needless. If you’re in the business of winning over audiences, communication goes a long way.