Pat Cummins has secured 309 wickets in 71 five-day games with an stellar bowling average.
The Australian selection chief the selector has confirmed that captain Pat Cummins will be a central figure in the upcoming Ashes series.
Rumors had circulated that Cummins might be unavailable due to a stress fracture in his back that was still troubling him.
Earlier indications from the Australian camp suggested no official announcement had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the five-Test series scheduled to begin on the 21st of November in Western Australia.
Bailey expressed that Cummins is "building up" and remained hopeful about the likelihood of participating.
"We're aware that time is getting short and there are permutations around that, not just the back issue, but additional elements," the selector added.
"It's positive. There's strong faith that he'll participate in a significant role. Ideally it's the first Test. Otherwise, we'll reassess."
Injury History
The captain missed the ODI and T20 games against India and New Zealand last month after medical tests showed a lumbar bone stress.
There is a track record of spinal problems, with setbacks in several earlier campaigns forcing him out of three Australian summers in four years.
Cummins stated he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his comeback strategy to secure his spot for the Ashes.
He mentioned that there was no confirmation if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his comeback but admitted it was "getting tight" for him to regain fitness for the initial match.
Contingency Plans
In case of absence, veteran batsman Smith will lead the side.
The talented all-rounder was recently pulled out from the national team for their one-day international series against India as a preventive step because of soreness in his side.
He labeled it as a "slight concern and confirmed that he'll feature in the state-level matches, so will be "well-prepared to be ready to bowl."
"Extensive planning has gone into creating the schedule for him to be available for the opening match as an all-rounder," Bailey explained.
"He was only going to play the starting games anyway. His aggressive style the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, even if it just sets him back for another day, we just made the decision to take a cautious route."
Match Calendar
The Ashes: Australia v England
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
