The Australian skipper has claimed 309 Test scalps in 71 five-day games with an average of 22.10.
Australia's chief selector the selector has confirmed that skipper Cummins will be a central figure in the forthcoming England-Australia contest.
There were concerns that the veteran bowler might be unavailable due to a stress fracture in his back that was still troubling him.
Earlier indications from the Australian camp suggested no definitive call had been made regarding whether he would play, with the five-Test series set to start on 21 November in Western Australia.
Bailey expressed that his recovery is on track and remained hopeful about the likelihood of being involved.
"We know that the clock is ticking and multiple considerations involved, not just the back issue, but additional elements," Bailey remarked.
"It's positive. There's strong faith that he will feature a significant role. With luck from the opening match. If not, we'll reassess."
Previous Setbacks
The captain missed Australia's limited-overs series against New Zealand and India recently after scans revealed a stress reaction in his back.
He has a history of recurring issues, with recurrences in several earlier campaigns causing him to miss multiple domestic campaigns in four years.
The bowler mentioned he would be bold in recovery efforts in his rehabilitation process to ensure his availability for the contest.
The selector indicated that there was no confirmation if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his recovery but acknowledged it was "getting tight" for him to recover fully for the initial match.
Alternative Arrangements
If he's unavailable, veteran batsman Smith will assume leadership.
The talented all-rounder was withdrawn recently from Australia's squad for their one-day international series against the Asian giants as a preventive step because of soreness in his side.
Bailey described it as a "slight concern and mentioned that he's scheduled to appear in the state-level matches, so will be "ideally positioned to be ready to bowl."
"We put so much time has gone into creating the schedule for him to be available for the initial game as an all-rounder," he elaborated.
"Originally, he'd only feature in the starting games regardless. How he handles the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, should it hinder progress for 24 more hours, we opted to adopt a safer strategy."
Fixture Details
The Ashes: Australia v England
21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026
