Pat Cummins has claimed 309 Test scalps in 71 five-day games with an impressive average.
The Australian chair of selectors Bailey has confirmed that skipper Cummins will play a "major part" in the upcoming historic rivalry.
Speculation had been growing that the veteran bowler might miss the series due to a persistent back stress problem that had not yet healed.
Previous updates from team management suggested no final decision had been made regarding his involvement, with the Test matches set to start on 21 November in Western Australia.
He revealed that the captain is progressing and was "optimistic" about his chances of taking part.
"We know that the clock is ticking and multiple considerations involved, aside from the physical problem, but other factors as well," Bailey remarked.
"It's positive. We firmly believe that he will feature a major part. With luck from the opening match. If not, we'll adjust."
Injury History
Cummins was ruled out the ODI and T20 games against India and New Zealand recently after scans revealed a lumbar bone stress.
He has a history of spinal problems, with recurrences in several earlier campaigns causing him to miss several home seasons in four years.
He emphasized he would be bold in recovery efforts in his comeback strategy to make the squad for the contest.
The selector indicated that he did not know if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his recovery but admitted it was "pressing" for him to be fit for the initial match.
Backup Options
Should Cummins not be fit, veteran batsman Smith will assume leadership.
Versatile player Green was excluded lately from the ODI lineup for their one-day international series against India as a preventive step because of discomfort in his torso.
He labeled it as a "slight concern and mentioned that Green will play in the state-level matches, so will be "ideally positioned to deliver overs."
"We put so much time has gone into creating the schedule for him to take part for the opening match as an batting and bowling option," he elaborated.
"He was only going to play the initial matches regardless. His aggressive style the willow in shorter formats, if it causes any delay for another day, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively."
Series Schedule
The Ashes: Australia v England
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
