The Australian skipper has taken 309 Test scalps in 71 appearances with an stellar bowling average.
Australia's chief selector Bailey has confirmed that skipper Cummins will play a "major part" in this winter's England-Australia contest.
There were concerns that the 32-year-old might be unavailable due to a persistent back stress problem that had not yet healed.
Initial reports from team management suggested no definitive call had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the five-Test series scheduled to begin on the 21st of November in Western Australia.
He revealed that the captain is progressing and remained hopeful about the prospects of participating.
"It's clear that the window is narrowing and various factors at play, aside from the physical problem, but further aspects," he commented.
"It's positive. There's strong faith that he'll participate in a major part. Hopefully from the opening match. If not, we'll adjust."
Previous Setbacks
The captain missed the white-ball matches against New Zealand and India recently after medical tests showed a lumbar bone stress.
There is a track record of spinal problems, with setbacks in several earlier campaigns leading to absences from multiple domestic campaigns in four years.
The bowler mentioned he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his recovery plan to make the squad for the series.
He mentioned that it was unclear if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his recovery but admitted it was "becoming urgent" for him to regain fitness for the initial match.
Contingency Plans
In case of absence, veteran batsman Smith will assume leadership.
All-rounder Cameron Green was recently pulled out from the ODI lineup for their limited-overs matches against the Asian giants as a precautionary measure because of soreness in his side.
He labeled it as a "slight concern and stated that Green will play in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "ideally positioned to be ready to bowl."
"Considerable effort has gone into building out the plan for him to take part for the opening match as an all-rounder," the selector detailed.
"His involvement was limited to the first two ODIs in any case. His aggressive style the willow in shorter formats, if it causes any delay for 24 more hours, the choice was made to take a cautious route."
Match Calendar
Australia vs England: The Ashes
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
