Pat Cummins has taken 309 wickets in 71 appearances with an impressive average.
Australia's chair of selectors Bailey has confirmed that captain Pat Cummins will play a "major part" in this winter's England-Australia contest.
There were concerns that the 32-year-old might sit out due to a stress fracture in his back that remained unresolved.
Previous updates from team management suggested no official announcement had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the extended contest scheduled to begin on the 21st of November in Western Australia.
Bailey expressed that Cummins is "building up" and remained hopeful about the prospects of being involved.
"It's clear that the clock is ticking and various factors at play, aside from the back issue, but additional elements," he commented.
"We're encouraged. There's strong faith that he'll participate in a key capacity. With luck it's the first Test. If not, we'll reassess."
Past Concerns
Cummins was ruled out the ODI and T20 games against New Zealand and India recently after scans revealed a lower back issue.
There is a track record of back injuries, with flare-ups in several earlier campaigns causing him to miss three Australian summers in a short span.
The bowler mentioned he would be bold in recovery efforts in his recovery plan to make the squad for the contest.
The selector indicated that he did not know if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his recovery but conceded it was "becoming urgent" for him to recover fully for the initial match.
Alternative Arrangements
In case of absence, veteran batsman Smith will take over the captaincy.
All-rounder Cameron Green was excluded lately from the national team for their one-day international series against the Asian giants as a precautionary measure because of soreness in his side.
He labeled it as a "slight concern and mentioned that Green will play in the state-level matches, so will be "well-prepared to deliver overs."
"Considerable effort has gone into developing the strategy for him to take part for the first Test as an batting and bowling option," he elaborated.
"His involvement was limited to the first two ODIs regardless. His aggressive style the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, if it causes any delay for a short period, we just made the decision to take a cautious route."
Match Calendar
The Ashes: Australia v England
21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026
