Pat Cummins has secured over 300 dismissals in 71 appearances with an average of 22.10.
Australia's chief selector Bailey has stated that captain Pat Cummins will be a central figure in the upcoming historic rivalry.
Speculation had been growing that the 32-year-old might miss the series due to a ongoing back issue that was still troubling him.
Initial reports from the Australian camp suggested no official announcement had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the extended contest kicking off on November 21 in Western Australia.
The selector shared that the captain is progressing and remained hopeful about his chances of being involved.
"We're aware that time is getting short and multiple considerations at play, not just the back issue, but other factors as well," he commented.
"We're encouraged. There's strong faith that he will feature a key capacity. Hopefully from the opening match. Should that not happen, we'll reassess."
Injury History
Cummins was ruled out the white-ball matches against New Zealand and India last month after scans revealed a lower back issue.
He has a history of recurring issues, with flare-ups in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 forcing him out of multiple domestic campaigns in a short span.
Cummins stated he would be bold in recovery efforts in his recovery plan to make the squad for the contest.
Bailey noted that it was unclear if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his recovery but conceded it was "pressing" for him to be fit for the initial match.
Contingency Plans
Should Cummins not be fit, former captain Steve Smith will lead the side.
All-rounder Cameron Green was excluded lately from the national team for their limited-overs matches against the subcontinent side as a preventive step because of soreness in his side.
He labeled it as a "small issue and confirmed that Green will play in the state-level matches, so will be "in a good place to resume bowling."
"We put so much time has gone into creating the schedule for him to be available for the initial game as an dual-role player," he elaborated.
"His involvement was limited to the first two ODIs anyway. How he handles the bat in limited-overs, even if it just sets him back for 24 more hours, we just made the decision to adopt a safer strategy."
Match Calendar
Australia vs England: The Ashes
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
