Pat Cummins has taken over 300 dismissals in 71 appearances with an stellar bowling average.
The Australian chief selector the selector has confirmed that pace spearhead Cummins will play a "major part" in the forthcoming historic rivalry.
There were concerns that the veteran bowler might miss the series due to a ongoing back issue that was still troubling him.
Previous updates from the Australian camp suggested no official announcement had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the five-Test series set to start on 21 November in the WACA.
The selector shared that the captain is progressing and felt positive about the likelihood of taking part.
"We're aware that time is getting short and there are permutations involved, aside from the back issue, but additional elements," Bailey remarked.
"It's positive. [We are] really confident that he will feature a significant role. Hopefully from the opening match. Otherwise, we'll reassess."
Previous Setbacks
Cummins was ruled out the white-ball matches against India and New Zealand in the previous weeks after medical tests showed a lumbar bone stress.
Previous incidents include of back injuries, with recurrences in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 forcing him out of three Australian summers in a short span.
He emphasized he would be bold in recovery efforts in his recovery plan to make the squad for the Ashes.
He mentioned that there was no confirmation 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 opener.
Contingency Plans
If he's unavailable, former captain Steve Smith will assume leadership.
Versatile player Green was excluded lately from the national team for their ODI contests against the Asian giants as a preventive step because of discomfort in his torso.
He labeled it as a "slight concern and confirmed that Green will play in the state-level matches, so will be "ideally positioned to be ready to bowl."
"We put so much time has gone into developing the strategy for him to take part for the initial game as an batting and bowling option," the selector detailed.
"His involvement was limited to the first two ODIs anyway. His aggressive style the willow in shorter formats, even if it just sets him back for 24 more hours, we opted to approach this more conservatively."
Series Schedule
Australia vs England: The Ashes
From November 21, 2025 to January 7, 2026
