The pace bowler has taken 309 wickets in 71 Test matches with an stellar bowling average.
Australia's selection chief the selector has declared that pace spearhead Cummins will play a "major part" in the forthcoming historic rivalry.
Rumors had circulated that the 32-year-old might be unavailable due to a persistent back stress problem that had not yet healed.
Initial reports 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.
The selector shared that the captain is progressing and was "optimistic" about the likelihood of taking part.
"We're aware that time is getting short and there are permutations at play, not only the physical problem, but additional elements," the selector added.
"It's positive. We firmly believe that he'll participate in a key capacity. Hopefully it's the first Test. If not, we'll reassess."
Injury History
He was sidelined the ODI and T20 games against India and New Zealand in the previous weeks after scans revealed a lumbar bone stress.
Previous incidents include of back injuries, with setbacks in several earlier campaigns causing him to miss several home seasons in four years.
Cummins stated he would be proactive in his approach in his comeback strategy to secure his spot for the Ashes.
Bailey noted that it was unclear if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his comeback but conceded it was "pressing" for him to recover fully for the first Test.
Backup Options
Should Cummins not be fit, ex-skipper Smith will take over the captaincy.
The talented all-rounder was recently pulled out from the ODI lineup for their one-day international series against the subcontinent side as a safety move because of an abdominal issue.
He labeled it as a "slight concern and mentioned that Green will play in the state-level matches, so will be "ideally positioned to be ready to bowl."
"We put so much time has gone into building out the plan for him to participate for the initial game as an all-rounder," he elaborated.
"His involvement was limited to the initial matches in any case. His aggressive style the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, should it hinder progress for 24 more hours, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively."
Fixture Details
The Ashes: Australia v England
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
