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One might speculate whether the Australian cricket board intentionally chooses to be opaque about player availability or simply lacks effectiveness in communications, but yet again, the fitness of players and final team composition must be deduced from the selection in the larger squad for the Brisbane match.

Normally, an unchanged squad would not attract attention, but on this occasion it is, thanks to the possible movement involving Pat Cummins and Usman Khawaja, none of which has now eventuated.

The unexpected element is Cummins for his omission, with the regular captain and pace spearhead progressing in rehabilitation from initial symptoms of a back injury. 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.”

Insider reports indicate that this is all situation normal and his recovery remains happily on track, with a probable return to the side soon. In theory, Cummins could even join the Test squad in coming days if he and management so choose. However, the explanations seem inconsistent.

Recalling when Cummins’ scans were cleared in last month, initiating the countdown on his buildup to match fitness, all public commentary from the player and timelines from CA suggested he would just be unavailable for the first Test and was scheduled to train at close to full intensity with the squad in Perth. The head coach remarked, “He will be up and bowling in Perth, and fans will wonder why he’s not playing.”

After returning to Sydney following the team’s raucous two-day win, he was observed practicing in the New South Wales nets without any visible restrictions and, most notably, was training with a pink ball, presumably 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 eight more days of rest between Brisbane and the third Test. 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. 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 reasonable to share any information about the skipper’s condition or the evolving status of either.

If care is the priority with the captain, the reverse is true with the opener’s issue. He had muscle spasms 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 did bat down the order. Though he may have improved, the fact he’d not experienced them before surely leaves some risk that they could return in the heat of the next Test.

With Khawaja in the squad logically means he is due to resume the top order, even though his replacement scored a historic hundred in his place. Khawaja wouldn’t be picked as a reserve or to play lower. But again, there is no official information about this, only the squad listing.

It isn’t necessary that sides must reveal a whole XI when picking their squad, and strategies may shift. But some plans are firmer than others, and considering how Head’s whirlwind drew fan interest, it would cause no issue to confirm where both batsmen are slotted to play. A bit of mystery in sports is a good thing, but creating it out of the broadly obvious is needless. For those aiming of winning over audiences, transparency is crucial.