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Australia's chief selector Bailey has confirmed that pace spearhead Cummins will play a "major part" in the upcoming Ashes series.

There were concerns that Cummins might sit out due to a ongoing back issue that had not yet healed.

Previous updates from the squad suggested no official announcement had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the five-Test series set to start on 21 November in the WACA.

Bailey expressed that Cummins is "building up" and remained hopeful about his chances of participating.

"We know that the window is narrowing and various factors around that, not just the back issue, but other factors as well," the selector added.

"The outlook is good. We firmly believe that he's going to play a key capacity. Ideally from the opening match. If not, then we'll pick it up."

Past Concerns

Cummins was ruled out the white-ball matches against New Zealand and India in the previous weeks after scans revealed a stress reaction in his back.

Previous incidents include of back injuries, with setbacks in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 leading to absences from three Australian summers in a limited period.

The bowler mentioned he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his rehabilitation process to secure his spot for the series.

He mentioned that he did not know if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his comeback but conceded it was "pressing" for him to recover fully for the initial match.

Alternative Arrangements

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

Versatile player Green was withdrawn recently from the national team for their limited-overs matches against the Asian giants as a preventive step because of an abdominal issue.

Bailey described it as a "small issue and mentioned that he's scheduled to appear in the state-level matches, so will be "ideally positioned to resume bowling."

"We put so much time has gone into developing the strategy for him to take part for the initial game as an batting and bowling option," the selector detailed.

"Originally, he'd only feature in the starting games regardless. His aggressive style the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, even if it just sets him back for another day, we opted to approach this more conservatively."

Match Calendar

Australia vs England: The Ashes

21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026