The pace bowler has taken 309 wickets in 71 Test matches with an stellar bowling average.
Australia's chief selector Bailey has declared that pace spearhead Cummins will play a "major part" in the forthcoming Ashes series.
Speculation had been growing that Cummins might miss the series due to a ongoing back issue that remained unresolved.
Previous updates from team management suggested no final decision had been made regarding whether he would play, with the five-Test series scheduled to begin on November 21 in Western Australia.
Bailey expressed that his recovery is on track and was "optimistic" about the likelihood of taking part.
"We know that the clock is ticking and there are permutations at play, aside from the back issue, but other factors as well," the selector added.
"The outlook is good. [We are] really confident that he will feature a key capacity. Hopefully starting in Perth. Otherwise, we'll adjust."
Past Concerns
The captain missed Australia's limited-overs series against both Asian and Trans-Tasman rivals recently after medical tests showed a lumbar bone stress.
There is a track record of back injuries, with setbacks in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 causing him to miss multiple domestic campaigns in a short span.
Cummins stated he would be proactive in his approach in his rehabilitation process to secure his spot for the series.
Bailey noted that it was unclear if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his rehabilitation but conceded it was "becoming urgent" for him to recover fully for the initial match.
Backup Options
If he's unavailable, veteran batsman Smith will assume leadership.
Versatile player Green was excluded lately from Australia's squad for their one-day international series against India as a safety move because of discomfort in his torso.
He labeled it as a "small issue and confirmed that he's scheduled to appear in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "ideally positioned to deliver overs."
"Extensive planning has gone into developing the strategy for him to take part for the opening match as an all-rounder," Bailey explained.
"Originally, he'd only feature in the initial matches in any case. His aggressive style the bat in limited-overs, if it causes any delay for another day, we just made the decision to adopt a safer strategy."
Fixture Details
The Historic Rivalry
From November 21, 2025 to January 7, 2026
