Pat Cummins has secured over 300 dismissals in 71 appearances with an impressive average.
Australia's chair of selectors the selector has declared that skipper Cummins will be a central figure in the upcoming England-Australia contest.
Rumors had circulated that the 32-year-old might miss the series due to a stress fracture in his back that was still troubling him.
Initial reports from the Australian camp suggested no definitive call had been made regarding his involvement, with the extended contest scheduled to begin on November 21 in the WACA.
Bailey expressed that his recovery is on track and felt positive about the likelihood of participating.
"We're aware that time is getting short and there are permutations at play, not only his injury, but additional elements," the selector added.
"It's positive. We firmly believe that he will feature a major part. With luck it's the first Test. Should that not happen, we'll reassess."
Injury History
The captain missed Australia's limited-overs series against New Zealand and India last month after scans revealed a lower back issue.
Previous incidents include of spinal problems, with setbacks in multiple past seasons leading to absences from several home seasons in four years.
The bowler mentioned he would be proactive in his approach in his recovery plan to secure his spot for the Ashes.
He mentioned that he did not know if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his rehabilitation but conceded it was "becoming urgent" for him to recover fully for the opener.
Backup Options
If he's unavailable, ex-skipper Smith will take over the captaincy.
The talented all-rounder was excluded lately from Australia's squad for their ODI contests against the subcontinent side as a precautionary measure because of soreness in his side.
The selector characterized it as a "small issue and stated that he'll feature in the state-level matches, so will be "ideally positioned to deliver overs."
"Considerable effort has gone into building out the plan for him to take part for the opening match as an all-rounder," he elaborated.
"Originally, he'd only feature in the first two ODIs regardless. The way he swings the willow in shorter formats, should it hinder progress for another day, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively."
Fixture Details
The Historic Rivalry
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
