The Australian skipper has taken over 300 dismissals in 71 five-day games with an impressive average.
The Australian chief selector Bailey has declared that captain Pat Cummins will play a "major part" in this winter's England-Australia contest.
Rumors had circulated that the 32-year-old might be unavailable due to a persistent back stress problem that was still troubling him.
Initial reports from team management suggested no definitive call had been made regarding his involvement, with the Test matches kicking off on the 21st of November in Western Australia.
Bailey expressed that Cummins is "building up" and remained hopeful about the prospects of participating.
"We're aware that the window is narrowing and multiple considerations around that, aside from his injury, but further aspects," the selector added.
"The outlook is good. There's strong faith that he will feature a major part. With luck starting in Perth. Should that not happen, we'll adjust."
Injury History
Cummins was ruled out the white-ball matches against India and New Zealand recently after scans revealed a lumbar bone stress.
He has a history of spinal problems, with setbacks in multiple past seasons leading to absences from several home seasons in a short span.
He emphasized he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his comeback strategy to make the squad for the series.
He mentioned that it was unclear if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his comeback but admitted it was "becoming urgent" for him to recover fully for the opener.
Backup Options
In case of absence, former captain Steve Smith will assume leadership.
The talented all-rounder was excluded lately from the ODI lineup for their limited-overs matches against the Asian giants as a safety move because of an abdominal issue.
The selector characterized it as a "minor" injury and confirmed that he'll feature in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "ideally positioned to be ready to bowl."
"Considerable effort has gone into developing the strategy for him to participate for the first Test as an dual-role player," he elaborated.
"He was only going to play the starting games anyway. The way he swings the bat in limited-overs, if it causes any delay for a short period, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively."
Series Schedule
Australia vs England: The Ashes
From November 21, 2025 to January 7, 2026