Australia's captain Expected to Feature a Significant Contribution in Ashes Series
Pat Cummins has secured 309 wickets in 71 appearances with an stellar bowling average.
The Australian selection chief George Bailey has declared that skipper Cummins will play a "major part" in the forthcoming Ashes series.
Speculation had been growing that the veteran bowler might be unavailable due to a persistent back stress problem that remained unresolved.
Previous updates from the squad suggested no final decision had been made regarding whether he would play, with the Test matches scheduled to begin on November 21 in Western Australia.
He revealed that the captain is progressing and was "optimistic" about the prospects of taking part.
"We know that the window is narrowing and there are permutations involved, not just the back issue, but additional elements," the selector added.
"We're encouraged. We firmly believe that he will feature a key capacity. Hopefully from the opening match. Should that not happen, we'll adjust."
Injury History
He was sidelined the ODI and T20 games against New Zealand and India recently after examinations confirmed a lumbar bone stress.
He has a history of spinal problems, with recurrences in several earlier campaigns leading to absences from three Australian summers in four years.
He emphasized he would be bold in recovery efforts in his comeback strategy to make the squad for the series.
Bailey noted that it was unclear if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his comeback but acknowledged it was "becoming urgent" for him to recover fully for the initial match.
Backup Options
Should Cummins not be fit, veteran batsman Smith will assume leadership.
All-rounder Cameron Green was withdrawn recently from the national team for their limited-overs matches against India as a precautionary measure because of discomfort in his torso.
Bailey described it as a "minor" injury and confirmed that he's scheduled to appear in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "well-prepared to resume bowling."
"Extensive planning has gone into creating the schedule for him to be available for the initial game as an batting and bowling option," the selector detailed.
"He was only going to play the initial matches regardless. His aggressive style the willow in shorter formats, if it causes any delay for a short period, we opted to take a cautious route."
Match Calendar
The Historic Rivalry
From November 21, 2025 to January 7, 2026
