The Australian skipper has secured 309 wickets in 71 appearances with an impressive average.
The Australian selection chief the selector has confirmed that pace spearhead Cummins will be a central figure in the upcoming Ashes series.
Speculation had been growing that the 32-year-old might sit out due to a stress fracture in his back that had not yet healed.
Previous updates from the Australian camp suggested no final decision had been made regarding whether he would play, with the extended contest scheduled to begin on 21 November in the WACA.
The selector shared that the captain is progressing and remained hopeful about his chances of participating.
"We're aware that time is getting short and there are permutations at play, not just the back issue, but other factors as well," the selector added.
"It's positive. We firmly believe that he will feature a significant role. With luck it's the first Test. Otherwise, we'll adjust."
Past Concerns
Cummins was ruled out the white-ball matches against New Zealand and India last month after medical tests showed a stress reaction in his back.
Previous incidents include of recurring issues, with flare-ups in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 causing him to miss multiple domestic campaigns in a short span.
Cummins stated he would be proactive in his approach in his recovery plan to secure his spot for the series.
He mentioned that it was unclear if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his recovery but admitted it was "getting tight" for him to regain fitness for the first Test.
Contingency Plans
Should Cummins not be fit, veteran batsman Smith will take over the captaincy.
Versatile player Green was recently pulled out from Australia's squad for their one-day international series against the subcontinent side as a preventive step because of soreness in his side.
The selector characterized it as a "minor" injury and confirmed that Green will play in the domestic first-class competition, 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 be available for the initial game as an dual-role player," Bailey explained.
"He was only going to play the starting games in any case. How he handles the bat in limited-overs, even if it just sets him back for 24 more hours, we just made the decision to take a cautious route."
Fixture Details
The Historic Rivalry
21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026
