Pat Cummins has secured over 300 dismissals in 71 Test matches with an average of 22.10.
The Australian chair of selectors George Bailey has confirmed that captain Pat Cummins will be a central figure in the forthcoming England-Australia contest.
Speculation had been growing that the veteran bowler might miss the series due to a ongoing back issue that was still troubling him.
Previous updates from the squad suggested no definitive call had been made regarding whether he would play, with the extended contest set to start on the 21st of November in the WACA.
The selector shared that the captain is progressing and was "optimistic" about his chances of being involved.
"We know that the clock is ticking and there are permutations at play, not just his injury, but further aspects," he commented.
"The outlook is good. [We are] really confident that he'll participate in a significant role. Ideally from the opening match. If not, we'll adjust."
Injury History
Cummins was ruled out the white-ball matches against New Zealand and India last month after examinations confirmed a lumbar bone stress.
He has a history of recurring issues, with setbacks in multiple past seasons causing him to miss several home seasons in a short span.
Cummins stated he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his recovery plan to make the squad for the Ashes.
Bailey noted that he did not know if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his recovery but acknowledged it was "getting tight" for him to recover fully for the first Test.
Contingency Plans
Should Cummins not be fit, ex-skipper Smith will take over the captaincy.
Versatile player Green was recently pulled out from the ODI lineup for their one-day international series against India as a safety move because of soreness in his side.
He labeled it as a "slight concern and mentioned that he's scheduled to appear in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "ideally positioned to resume bowling."
"We put so much time has gone into building out the plan for him to take part for the initial game as an dual-role player," the selector detailed.
"Originally, he'd only feature in the initial matches anyway. The way he swings the bat in limited-overs, if it causes any delay for a short period, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively."
Series Schedule
Australia vs England: The Ashes
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
