Pat Cummins has claimed 309 wickets in 71 appearances with an impressive average.
The Australian chief selector the selector has declared that captain Pat Cummins will play a "major part" in the forthcoming England-Australia contest.
Speculation had been growing that the veteran bowler might miss the series due to a ongoing back issue that had not yet healed.
Initial reports from the squad suggested no definitive call had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the Test matches set to start on the 21st of November in Perth.
Bailey expressed that the captain is progressing and was "optimistic" about the likelihood of participating.
"It's clear that the window is narrowing and multiple considerations around that, not only the back issue, but other factors as well," the selector added.
"We're encouraged. We firmly believe that he's going to play a key capacity. With luck it's the first Test. Otherwise, we'll adjust."
Injury History
He was sidelined the white-ball matches against India and New Zealand in the previous weeks after scans revealed a stress reaction in his back.
Previous incidents include of spinal problems, with setbacks in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 forcing him out of several home seasons in four years.
He emphasized he would be proactive in his approach in his recovery plan to make the squad for the Ashes.
He mentioned that it was unclear if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his rehabilitation but conceded it was "becoming urgent" for him to recover fully for the first Test.
Contingency Plans
In case of absence, former captain Steve Smith will assume leadership.
The talented all-rounder was recently pulled out from Australia's squad for their ODI contests against India as a precautionary measure because of soreness in his side.
Bailey described it as a "minor" injury and mentioned that he's scheduled to appear in the state-level matches, so will be "ideally positioned to deliver overs."
"We put so much time has gone into building out the plan for him to be available for the opening match as an all-rounder," Bailey explained.
"His involvement was limited to the starting games regardless. How he handles the bat in limited-overs, if it causes any delay for 24 more hours, the choice was made to approach this more conservatively."
Match Calendar
The Historic Rivalry
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
