The Australian skipper has claimed 309 wickets in 71 Test matches with an impressive average.
The Australian chief selector Bailey has confirmed that skipper Cummins will be a central figure in the upcoming England-Australia contest.
There were concerns that Cummins might miss the series due to a ongoing back issue that remained unresolved.
Earlier indications from the Australian camp suggested no final decision had been made regarding whether he would play, with the Test matches set to start on November 21 in Perth.
Bailey expressed that the captain is progressing and felt positive about the prospects of taking part.
"We're aware that the window is narrowing and there are permutations involved, aside from the back issue, but further aspects," he commented.
"It's positive. There's strong faith that he will feature a significant role. Ideally from the opening match. Should that not happen, then we'll pick it up."
Previous Setbacks
He was sidelined the white-ball matches against New Zealand and India in the previous weeks after scans revealed a lower back issue.
He has a history of back injuries, with recurrences in multiple past seasons leading to absences from three Australian summers in a short span.
Cummins stated he would be bold in recovery efforts in his rehabilitation process to secure his spot for the series.
Bailey noted that it was unclear if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his rehabilitation but admitted it was "getting tight" for him to be fit for the first Test.
Backup Options
If he's unavailable, ex-skipper Smith will assume leadership.
The talented all-rounder was withdrawn recently from the ODI lineup for their one-day international series against the subcontinent side as a precautionary measure because of an abdominal issue.
Bailey described it as a "slight concern and mentioned that Green will play in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "ideally positioned to deliver overs."
"We put so much time has gone into creating the schedule for him to take part for the initial game as an dual-role player," the selector detailed.
"His involvement was limited to the initial matches regardless. The way he swings the bat in limited-overs, if it causes any delay for 24 more hours, we just made the decision to adopt a safer strategy."
Series Schedule
Australia vs England: The Ashes
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
