Pat Cummins has taken 309 wickets in 71 appearances with an impressive average.
Australia's chief selector George Bailey has confirmed that skipper Cummins will play a "major part" in the forthcoming Ashes series.
Rumors had circulated that Cummins might miss the series due to a stress fracture in his back that was still troubling him.
Initial reports from the Australian camp suggested no official announcement had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the five-Test series kicking off on November 21 in Perth.
Bailey expressed that his recovery is on track and remained hopeful about the prospects of participating.
"It's clear that time is getting short and there are permutations involved, aside from the back issue, but additional elements," the selector added.
"The outlook is good. There's strong faith that he'll participate in a key capacity. Hopefully from the opening match. If not, then we'll pick it up."
Injury History
The captain missed the ODI and T20 games against New Zealand and India recently after scans revealed a lower back issue.
Previous incidents include of back injuries, with flare-ups in several earlier campaigns leading to absences from multiple domestic campaigns in a short span.
The bowler mentioned he would be proactive in his approach in his rehabilitation process to make the squad for the contest.
He mentioned that it was unclear if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his recovery but admitted it was "getting tight" for him to regain fitness for the initial match.
Contingency Plans
Should Cummins not be fit, veteran batsman Smith will assume leadership.
The talented all-rounder was excluded lately from the national team for their ODI contests against the subcontinent side as a safety move because of discomfort in his torso.
Bailey described it as a "slight concern and stated that Green will play in the state-level matches, so will be "in a good place to be ready to bowl."
"Considerable effort has gone into developing the strategy for him to take part for the first Test as an dual-role player," the selector detailed.
"His involvement was limited to the initial matches regardless. 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
The Historic Rivalry
From November 21, 2025 to January 7, 2026
