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Australia's selection chief Bailey has declared that captain Pat Cummins will have a crucial role in this winter's England-Australia contest.

Speculation had been growing that the veteran bowler might sit out due to a ongoing back issue that was still troubling him.

Initial reports from the Australian camp suggested no definitive call had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the five-Test series set to start on 21 November in Perth.

He revealed that his recovery is on track and was "optimistic" about his chances of taking part.

"We know that time is getting short and multiple considerations involved, not just the back issue, but further aspects," Bailey remarked.

"The outlook is good. We firmly believe that he will feature a key capacity. With luck starting in Perth. Otherwise, we'll reassess."

Past Concerns

The captain missed the white-ball matches against New Zealand and India last month after scans revealed a lumbar bone stress.

He has a history of recurring issues, with flare-ups in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 leading to absences from multiple domestic campaigns in four years.

The bowler mentioned he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his comeback strategy to secure his spot for the contest.

Bailey noted that there was no confirmation if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his recovery but admitted it was "getting tight" for him to be fit for the opener.

Contingency Plans

If he's unavailable, veteran batsman Smith will take over the captaincy.

The talented all-rounder was recently pulled out from the ODI lineup for their limited-overs matches against the subcontinent side as a preventive step because of discomfort in his torso.

Bailey described it as a "slight concern and confirmed that Green will play in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "well-prepared to be ready to bowl."

"Extensive planning has gone into creating the schedule for him to be available for the initial game as an batting and bowling option," Bailey explained.

"His involvement was limited to the first two ODIs regardless. How he handles the bat in limited-overs, should it hinder progress for 24 more hours, the choice was made to approach this more conservatively."

Match Calendar

Australia vs England: The Ashes

21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026