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The Australian selection chief Bailey has confirmed that captain Pat Cummins will play a "major part" in the upcoming historic rivalry.

There were concerns that the veteran bowler might be unavailable due to a ongoing back issue that was still troubling him.

Earlier indications from the Australian camp suggested no final decision had been made regarding his involvement, with the five-Test series kicking off on the 21st of November in Perth.

The selector shared that his recovery is on track and was "optimistic" about the likelihood of taking part.

"We're aware that time is getting short and multiple considerations around that, not just the physical problem, but further aspects," the selector added.

"It's positive. There's strong faith that he's going to play a significant role. Ideally it's the first Test. If not, we'll adjust."

Previous Setbacks

Cummins was ruled out Australia's limited-overs series against both Asian and Trans-Tasman rivals in the previous weeks after examinations confirmed a stress reaction in his back.

There is a track record of recurring issues, with flare-ups in multiple past seasons causing him to miss multiple domestic campaigns in a limited period.

The bowler mentioned he would be bold in recovery efforts in his comeback strategy to ensure his availability for the Ashes.

Bailey noted that he did not know if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his comeback but admitted it was "becoming urgent" for him to regain fitness for the first Test.

Contingency Plans

In case of absence, veteran batsman Smith will take over the captaincy.

The talented all-rounder was recently pulled out from the ODI lineup for their ODI contests against India as a safety move because of discomfort in his torso.

He labeled it as a "slight concern and mentioned that Green will play in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "well-prepared to deliver overs."

"Considerable effort has gone into developing the strategy for him to take part for the opening match as an dual-role player," the selector detailed.

"He was only going to play the first two ODIs in any case. The way he swings the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, if it causes any delay for a short period, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively."

Series Schedule

The Historic Rivalry

21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026