Pat Cummins has claimed 309 wickets in 71 appearances with an stellar bowling average.
The Australian selection chief George Bailey has declared that captain Pat Cummins will be a central figure in the upcoming England-Australia contest.
Speculation had been growing that the veteran bowler might miss the series due to a persistent back stress problem that was still troubling him.
Previous updates from the squad suggested no official announcement had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the five-Test series kicking off on November 21 in the WACA.
Bailey expressed that his recovery is on track and was "optimistic" about the prospects of participating.
"It's clear that time is getting short and multiple considerations involved, not just his injury, but further aspects," the selector added.
"The outlook is good. There's strong faith that he'll participate in a major part. With luck it's the first Test. If not, we'll adjust."
Past Concerns
The captain missed the ODI and T20 games against New Zealand and India recently after scans revealed a lumbar bone stress.
There is a track record of recurring issues, with recurrences in multiple past seasons causing him to miss three Australian summers in a limited period.
The bowler mentioned he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his recovery plan to ensure his availability for the contest.
Bailey noted that it was unclear if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his rehabilitation but acknowledged it was "getting tight" for him to recover fully for the first Test.
Backup Options
Should Cummins not be fit, former captain Steve Smith will assume leadership.
Versatile player Green was recently pulled out from the national team for their ODI contests against the subcontinent side as a safety move because of discomfort in his torso.
The selector characterized it as a "small issue and confirmed that he'll feature in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "ideally positioned to deliver overs."
"We put so much time has gone into creating the schedule for him to be available for the initial game as an all-rounder," Bailey explained.
"His involvement was limited to the initial matches in any case. The way he swings the willow in shorter formats, if it causes any delay for a short period, the choice was made to take a cautious route."
Series Schedule
The Ashes: Australia v England
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
