Australia's captain Expected to Feature a Key Part in Iconic Rivalry
The Australian skipper has taken 309 wickets in 71 appearances with an impressive average.
The Australian selection chief the selector has confirmed that pace spearhead Cummins will play a "major part" in the upcoming England-Australia contest.
Rumors had circulated that the veteran bowler might sit out due to a persistent back stress problem that remained unresolved.
Previous updates from team management suggested no definitive call had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the Test matches kicking off on November 21 in the WACA.
Bailey expressed that his recovery is on track and was "optimistic" about the likelihood of participating.
"We know that the clock is ticking and there are permutations involved, not just his injury, but additional elements," Bailey remarked.
"The outlook is good. [We are] really confident that he's going to play a major part. Hopefully from the opening match. Otherwise, we'll adjust."
Injury History
He was sidelined the white-ball matches against India and New Zealand recently after scans revealed a stress reaction in his back.
He has a history of back injuries, with flare-ups in multiple past seasons leading to absences from multiple domestic campaigns in four years.
Cummins stated he would be bold in recovery efforts in his comeback strategy to make the squad for the contest.
Bailey noted that there was no confirmation if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his rehabilitation but conceded it was "getting tight" for him to regain fitness for the opener.
Contingency Plans
Should Cummins not be fit, veteran batsman Smith will take over the captaincy.
The talented all-rounder was excluded lately from the national team for their one-day international series against India as a preventive step because of soreness in his side.
Bailey described it as a "small issue and mentioned that he'll feature in the state-level matches, so will be "in a good place to be ready to bowl."
"Considerable effort has gone into building out the plan for him to take part for the first Test as an all-rounder," the selector detailed.
"He was only going to play the initial matches anyway. The way he swings the willow in shorter formats, if it causes any delay for a short period, we just made the decision to adopt a safer strategy."
Match Calendar
Australia vs England: The Ashes
From November 21, 2025 to January 7, 2026
