Pat Cummins has claimed 309 wickets in 71 appearances with an stellar bowling average.
The Australian chair of selectors the selector has confirmed that pace spearhead Cummins will have a crucial role in the upcoming England-Australia contest.
There were concerns that the 32-year-old might be unavailable due to a stress fracture in his back that was still troubling him.
Initial reports from the squad suggested no official announcement had been made regarding his involvement, with the five-Test series set to start on 21 November in the WACA.
The selector shared that Cummins is "building up" and remained hopeful about the likelihood of taking part.
"It's clear that the clock is ticking and there are permutations at play, not only his injury, but other factors as well," he commented.
"It's positive. [We are] really confident that he's going to play a significant role. Ideally it's the first Test. Otherwise, we'll adjust."
Injury History
The captain missed Australia's limited-overs series against India and New Zealand in the previous weeks after medical tests showed a stress reaction in his back.
He has a history of spinal problems, with setbacks in multiple past seasons causing him to miss several home seasons in four years.
He emphasized he would be proactive in his approach in his rehabilitation process to secure his spot for the contest.
The selector indicated that he did not know if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his comeback but acknowledged it was "getting tight" for him to regain fitness for the initial match.
Alternative Arrangements
If he's unavailable, veteran batsman Smith will take over the captaincy.
The talented all-rounder was withdrawn recently from the ODI lineup for their limited-overs matches against India as a preventive step because of an abdominal issue.
Bailey described it as a "small issue and mentioned that he'll feature in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "in a good place to be ready to bowl."
"Considerable effort has gone into building out the plan for him to participate for the first Test as an all-rounder," Bailey explained.
"He was only going to play the initial matches in any case. His aggressive style the willow in shorter formats, should it hinder progress for 24 more hours, we opted to adopt a safer strategy."
Fixture Details
Australia vs England: The Ashes
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
