Pat Cummins has taken 309 wickets in 71 appearances with an stellar bowling average.
Australia's chief selector George Bailey has declared that skipper Cummins will be a central figure in the upcoming Ashes series.
There were concerns that the 32-year-old might be unavailable due to a stress fracture in his back that had not yet healed.
Previous updates from the squad suggested no official announcement had been made regarding whether he would play, with the five-Test series set to start on the 21st of November in the WACA.
The selector shared that the captain is progressing and was "optimistic" about his chances of participating.
"We know that time is getting short and multiple considerations around that, not just the physical problem, but further aspects," Bailey remarked.
"The outlook is good. [We are] really confident that he's going to play a significant role. Hopefully starting in Perth. Otherwise, we'll reassess."
Injury History
He was sidelined the white-ball matches against both Asian and Trans-Tasman rivals recently after medical tests showed a lumbar bone stress.
Previous incidents include of spinal problems, with recurrences in several earlier campaigns leading to absences from multiple domestic campaigns in four years.
Cummins stated he would be bold in recovery efforts in his rehabilitation process to make the squad for the contest.
The selector indicated that he did not know if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his recovery but conceded it was "becoming urgent" for him to regain fitness for the first Test.
Alternative Arrangements
In case of absence, ex-skipper Smith will take over the captaincy.
All-rounder Cameron Green was recently pulled out from Australia's squad for their one-day international series against India as a safety move because of soreness in his side.
Bailey described it as a "minor" injury and stated that he'll feature in the state-level matches, so will be "well-prepared to resume bowling."
"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," he elaborated.
"He was only going to play the starting games in any case. How he handles the willow in shorter formats, even if it just sets him back for a short period, we just made the decision to take a cautious route."
Fixture Details
Australia vs England: The Ashes
21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026
