Australia's captain Poised for a Major Role in Ashes Series
The pace bowler has taken 309 wickets in 71 five-day games with an impressive average.
The Australian chair of selectors Bailey has confirmed that pace spearhead Cummins will be a central figure in the upcoming Ashes series.
Speculation had been growing that the veteran bowler might be unavailable due to a persistent back stress problem that was still troubling him.
Previous updates from the squad suggested no final decision had been made regarding whether he would play, with the Test matches scheduled to begin on November 21 in the WACA.
He revealed that his recovery is on track and was "optimistic" about the prospects of taking part.
"It's clear that the window is narrowing and multiple considerations involved, not just his injury, but additional elements," Bailey remarked.
"The outlook is good. There's strong faith that he'll participate in a major part. Ideally starting in Perth. Otherwise, then we'll pick it up."
Injury History
The captain missed Australia's limited-overs series against New Zealand and India recently after scans revealed a lower back issue.
There is a track record of back injuries, with recurrences in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 causing him to miss three Australian summers in four years.
The bowler mentioned he would be proactive in his approach in his recovery plan to secure his spot for the contest.
He mentioned that it was unclear if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his comeback but conceded it was "pressing" for him to be fit for the first Test.
Alternative Arrangements
Should Cummins not be fit, former captain Steve Smith will take over the captaincy.
All-rounder Cameron Green was withdrawn recently from the ODI lineup for their ODI contests against India as a preventive step because of an abdominal issue.
The selector characterized it as a "minor" injury and confirmed that Green will play in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "well-prepared to deliver overs."
"Extensive planning has gone into building out the plan for him to take part for the initial game as an dual-role player," Bailey explained.
"He was only going to play the first two ODIs in any case. His aggressive style the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, should it hinder progress for 24 more hours, we opted to adopt a safer strategy."
Series Schedule
The Historic Rivalry
21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026
