The Australian skipper has taken 309 wickets in 71 five-day games with an impressive average.
Australia's selection chief Bailey has declared that pace spearhead Cummins will have a crucial role in the forthcoming historic rivalry.
There were concerns that the 32-year-old might miss the series due to a ongoing back issue that had not yet healed.
Previous updates from the Australian camp suggested no final decision had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the five-Test series kicking off on November 21 in Western Australia.
The selector shared that the captain is progressing and remained hopeful about the prospects of taking part.
"We know that the clock is ticking and there are permutations at play, aside from the back issue, but further aspects," Bailey remarked.
"The outlook is good. We firmly believe that he'll participate in a key capacity. Hopefully from the opening match. Otherwise, then we'll pick it up."
Previous Setbacks
Cummins was ruled out Australia's limited-overs series against India and New Zealand in the previous weeks after examinations confirmed a stress reaction in his back.
Previous incidents include of back injuries, with recurrences in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 causing him to miss multiple domestic campaigns in four years.
The bowler mentioned he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his rehabilitation process to ensure his availability 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 "getting tight" for him to regain fitness for the initial match.
Contingency Plans
If he's unavailable, ex-skipper Smith will take over the captaincy.
Versatile player Green was withdrawn recently from the ODI lineup for their ODI contests against the Asian giants as a precautionary measure because of an abdominal issue.
He labeled it as a "small issue and mentioned that Green will play in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "well-prepared to be ready to bowl."
"We put so much time has gone into building out the plan for him to participate for the initial game as an all-rounder," the selector detailed.
"Originally, he'd only feature in the starting games in any case. His aggressive style the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, even if it just sets him back for a short period, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively."
Match Calendar
The Ashes: Australia v England
21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026
