The Australian skipper has claimed 309 wickets in 71 five-day games with an stellar bowling average.
Australia's chief selector the selector has confirmed that skipper Cummins will play a "major part" in the forthcoming England-Australia contest.
There were concerns that the 32-year-old might miss the series due to a ongoing back issue that had not yet healed.
Previous updates from team management suggested no final decision had been made regarding his involvement, with the five-Test series kicking off on the 21st of November in Western Australia.
He revealed that Cummins is "building up" and remained hopeful about the prospects of taking part.
"We're aware that the clock is ticking and multiple considerations around that, not just the back issue, but further aspects," he commented.
"It's positive. There's strong faith that he's going to play a significant role. Hopefully it's the first Test. Should that not happen, we'll adjust."
Injury History
The captain missed Australia's limited-overs series against India and New Zealand recently after medical tests showed a lower back issue.
He has a history of back injuries, with setbacks in multiple past seasons leading to absences from multiple domestic campaigns in a limited period.
Cummins stated he would be bold in recovery efforts in his recovery plan to ensure his availability for the series.
Bailey noted that there was no confirmation if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his comeback but admitted it was "getting tight" for him to be fit for the opener.
Contingency Plans
Should Cummins not be fit, veteran batsman Smith will take over the captaincy.
The talented all-rounder was withdrawn recently from the national team for their one-day international series against the Asian giants as a safety move because of discomfort in his torso.
He labeled it as a "small issue and confirmed that Green will play in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "ideally positioned to deliver overs."
"We put so much time has gone into building out the plan for him to take part for the first Test as an all-rounder," the selector detailed.
"He was only going to play the starting games anyway. The way he swings the bat in limited-overs, should it hinder progress for another day, we opted to adopt a safer strategy."
Series Schedule
The Historic Rivalry
21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026
