The Australian skipper has taken over 300 dismissals in 71 Test matches with an stellar bowling average.
The Australian chair of selectors Bailey has declared that skipper Cummins will play a "major part" in this winter's historic rivalry.
There were concerns that the veteran bowler might be unavailable due to a persistent back stress problem that was still troubling him.
Initial reports from the Australian camp suggested no official announcement had been made regarding his involvement, with the extended contest set to start on November 21 in Western Australia.
Bailey expressed that the captain is progressing and was "optimistic" about his chances of taking part.
"We're aware that the clock is ticking and there are permutations around that, aside from his injury, but additional elements," he commented.
"We're encouraged. We firmly believe that he's going to play a key capacity. Ideally starting in Perth. Should that not happen, we'll reassess."
Injury History
The captain missed Australia's limited-overs series 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 multiple past seasons causing him to miss three Australian summers in a short span.
He emphasized he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his comeback strategy to make the squad for the Ashes.
Bailey noted that he did not know if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his rehabilitation but acknowledged it was "getting tight" for him to recover fully for the first Test.
Backup Options
In case of absence, veteran batsman Smith will take over the captaincy.
The talented all-rounder was withdrawn recently from Australia's squad for their one-day international series against the Asian giants as a preventive step because of soreness in his side.
The selector characterized it as a "slight concern and mentioned that Green will play in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "well-prepared to be ready to bowl."
"Considerable effort has gone into building out the plan for him to take part for the initial game as an batting and bowling option," the selector detailed.
"Originally, he'd only feature in the initial matches in any case. His aggressive style the bat in limited-overs, if it causes any delay for a short period, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively."
Series Schedule
The Historic Rivalry
From November 21, 2025 to January 7, 2026
