Pat Cummins has taken 309 wickets in 71 Test matches with an average of 22.10.
Australia's chief selector Bailey has confirmed that pace spearhead Cummins will play a "major part" in the upcoming England-Australia contest.
Speculation had been growing that the veteran bowler might be unavailable due to a ongoing back issue that had not yet healed.
Initial reports from team management suggested no official announcement had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the five-Test series kicking off on 21 November in Western Australia.
The selector shared that Cummins is "building up" and was "optimistic" about the likelihood of taking part.
"It's clear that time is getting short and multiple considerations involved, not only the physical problem, but additional elements," he commented.
"It's positive. We firmly believe that he will feature a major part. Ideally starting in Perth. Should that not happen, we'll reassess."
Past Concerns
Cummins was ruled out the ODI and T20 games against New Zealand and India in the previous weeks after examinations confirmed a lumbar bone stress.
Previous incidents include of spinal problems, with setbacks in multiple past seasons causing him to miss three Australian summers in a short span.
Cummins stated he would be proactive in his approach in his recovery plan to make the squad for the Ashes.
Bailey noted that he did not know if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his comeback but conceded it was "pressing" for him to regain fitness for the first Test.
Contingency Plans
Should Cummins not be fit, veteran batsman Smith will assume leadership.
The talented all-rounder was excluded lately from the national team for their ODI contests against the subcontinent side as a precautionary measure because of soreness in his side.
Bailey described it as a "slight concern and confirmed that Green will play in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "in a good place to be ready to bowl."
"Extensive planning has gone into building out the plan for him to be available for the initial game as an batting and bowling option," the selector detailed.
"His involvement was limited to the first two ODIs regardless. How he handles the bat in limited-overs, should it hinder progress for 24 more hours, the choice was made to approach this more conservatively."
Fixture Details
The Historic Rivalry
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
