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Australia's chief selector Bailey has confirmed that captain Pat Cummins will have a crucial role in the upcoming Ashes series.

There were concerns that Cummins might be unavailable due to a stress fracture in his back that remained unresolved.

Earlier indications from the Australian camp suggested no final decision had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the Test matches kicking off on the 21st of November in Perth.

The selector shared that his recovery is on track and remained hopeful about his chances of being involved.

"We're aware that time is getting short and various factors at play, aside from the physical problem, but further aspects," Bailey remarked.

"It's positive. There's strong faith that he will feature a key capacity. Ideally starting in Perth. If not, we'll adjust."

Previous Setbacks

The captain missed Australia's limited-overs series against New Zealand and India recently after examinations confirmed a stress reaction in his back.

There is a track record of spinal problems, with flare-ups in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 forcing him out of multiple domestic campaigns in four years.

He emphasized he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his comeback strategy to make the squad for the contest.

The selector indicated that he did not know if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his recovery but conceded it was "becoming urgent" for him to be fit for the first Test.

Alternative Arrangements

In case of absence, veteran batsman Smith will assume leadership.

All-rounder Cameron Green was recently pulled out from the national team for their ODI contests against India as a preventive step because of discomfort in his torso.

Bailey described it as a "minor" injury and mentioned that he's scheduled to appear in the Sheffield Shield, 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 dual-role player," he elaborated.

"He was only going to play the initial matches regardless. His aggressive style the bat in limited-overs, if it causes any delay for 24 more hours, we opted to take a cautious route."

Match Calendar

Australia vs England: The Ashes

Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026