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The Australian selection chief George Bailey has stated that skipper Cummins will play a "major part" in this winter's England-Australia contest.

Rumors had circulated that the veteran bowler might sit out due to a persistent back stress problem that was still troubling him.

Earlier indications from team management suggested no official announcement had been made regarding whether he would play, with the Test matches set to start on the 21st of November in the WACA.

He revealed that the captain is progressing and was "optimistic" about the prospects of taking part.

"We're aware that the window is narrowing and there are permutations involved, aside from his injury, but further aspects," Bailey remarked.

"It's positive. There's strong faith that he's going to play a key capacity. With luck it's the first Test. Should that not happen, we'll reassess."

Injury History

Cummins was ruled out the ODI and T20 games against New Zealand and India recently after scans revealed a lower back issue.

There is a track record of back injuries, with setbacks in multiple past seasons forcing him out of three Australian summers in four years.

The bowler mentioned he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his comeback strategy to make the squad for the series.

Bailey noted that it was unclear if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his comeback but acknowledged it was "pressing" for him to recover fully for the opener.

Backup Options

If he's unavailable, ex-skipper Smith will take over the captaincy.

All-rounder Cameron Green was excluded lately from Australia's squad for their limited-overs matches against the Asian giants as a precautionary measure because of soreness in his side.

The selector characterized it as a "minor" injury and confirmed that he'll feature in the state-level matches, so will be "ideally positioned to be ready to bowl."

"Extensive planning has gone into building out the plan for him to participate for the first Test as an batting and bowling option," Bailey explained.

"Originally, he'd only feature in the first two ODIs in any case. How he handles the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, if it causes any delay for another day, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively."

Fixture Details

Australia vs England: The Ashes

From November 21, 2025 to January 7, 2026