Pat Cummins has taken 309 wickets in 71 Test matches with an average of 22.10.
Australia's chief selector Bailey has declared that pace spearhead Cummins will be a central figure in the upcoming England-Australia contest.
Speculation had been growing that Cummins might miss the series due to a stress fracture in his back that had not yet healed.
Initial reports from the squad suggested no final decision had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the five-Test series kicking off on the 21st of November in Western Australia.
Bailey expressed that Cummins is "building up" and remained hopeful about the prospects of participating.
"We're aware that the window is narrowing and multiple considerations around that, aside from the physical problem, but further aspects," Bailey remarked.
"It's positive. There's strong faith that he will feature a key capacity. Ideally it's the first Test. Otherwise, we'll reassess."
Injury History
The captain missed Australia's limited-overs series against New Zealand and India in the previous weeks after scans revealed a lumbar bone stress.
There is a track record of recurring issues, with recurrences in several earlier campaigns leading to absences from three Australian summers in a short span.
Cummins stated he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his recovery plan to make the squad for the series.
The selector indicated that he did not know if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his recovery but acknowledged it was "pressing" for him to be fit for the first Test.
Backup Options
Should Cummins not be fit, veteran batsman Smith will assume leadership.
All-rounder Cameron Green was excluded lately from Australia's squad for their one-day international series against the Asian giants as a precautionary measure because of discomfort in his torso.
Bailey described it as a "minor" injury and mentioned that Green will play in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "in a good place to be ready to bowl."
"We put so much time has gone into building out the plan for him to take part for the initial game as an all-rounder," the selector detailed.
"He was only going to play the starting games regardless. The way he swings the willow in shorter formats, if it causes any delay for 24 more hours, we opted to approach this more conservatively."
Fixture Details
The Ashes: Australia v England
21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026
