Pat Cummins has claimed 309 wickets in 71 appearances with an average of 22.10.
Australia's chair of selectors Bailey has declared that skipper Cummins will be a central figure in this winter's England-Australia contest.
Rumors had circulated that Cummins might miss the series due to a stress fracture in his back that remained unresolved.
Previous updates from team management suggested no final decision had been made regarding whether he would play, with the five-Test series kicking off on 21 November in the WACA.
The selector shared that Cummins is "building up" and felt positive about his chances of participating.
"We know that the clock is ticking and multiple considerations involved, not only his injury, but further aspects," he commented.
"It's positive. There's strong faith that he will feature a significant role. With luck from the opening match. Should that not happen, we'll reassess."
Previous Setbacks
The captain missed Australia's limited-overs series against India and New Zealand in the previous weeks after scans revealed a stress reaction in his back.
There is a track record of back injuries, with recurrences in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 causing him to miss three Australian summers in a limited period.
The bowler mentioned he would be proactive in his approach in his recovery plan to secure his spot for the Ashes.
He mentioned that it was unclear if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his recovery but conceded it was "getting tight" for him to recover fully for the first Test.
Alternative Arrangements
If he's unavailable, ex-skipper Smith will assume leadership.
The talented all-rounder was excluded lately from Australia's squad for their one-day international series against the subcontinent side as a safety move because of an abdominal issue.
The selector characterized it as a "small issue and confirmed that Green will play in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "in a good place to deliver overs."
"We put so much time has gone into creating the schedule for him to be available for the first Test as an all-rounder," Bailey explained.
"His involvement was limited to the initial matches anyway. How he handles the bat in limited-overs, should it hinder progress for a short period, we just made the decision to adopt a safer strategy."
Match Calendar
Australia vs England: The Ashes
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
