The Australian skipper has taken over 300 dismissals in 71 Test matches with an impressive average.
Australia's chief selector the selector has confirmed that skipper Cummins will play a "major part" in the upcoming Ashes series.
Speculation had been growing that Cummins might sit out due to a persistent back stress problem that remained unresolved.
Previous updates from the Australian camp suggested no final decision had been made regarding his involvement, with the Test matches set to start on the 21st of November in Western Australia.
The selector shared that the captain is progressing and felt positive about the likelihood of taking part.
"We know that the clock is ticking and there are permutations around that, not just the back issue, but further aspects," Bailey remarked.
"The outlook is good. We firmly believe that he's going to play a significant role. Ideally from the opening match. Otherwise, we'll reassess."
Previous Setbacks
The captain missed Australia's limited-overs series against both Asian and Trans-Tasman rivals recently after examinations confirmed a lumbar bone stress.
Previous incidents include of spinal problems, with flare-ups in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 forcing him out of three Australian summers in a short span.
He emphasized he would be proactive in his approach in his recovery plan to make the squad for the contest.
He mentioned that he did not know if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his comeback but admitted it was "getting tight" for him to be fit for the initial match.
Alternative Arrangements
If he's unavailable, veteran batsman Smith will take over the captaincy.
The talented all-rounder was withdrawn recently from the national team for their limited-overs matches against the Asian giants as a preventive step because of discomfort in his torso.
Bailey described it as a "slight concern 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 developing the strategy for him to take part for the initial game as an batting and bowling option," Bailey explained.
"His involvement was limited to the first two ODIs anyway. How he handles the bat in limited-overs, if it causes any delay for a short period, we just made the decision to adopt a safer strategy."
Fixture Details
Australia vs England: The Ashes
21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026
