Pat Cummins has claimed 309 wickets in 71 Test matches with an impressive average.
Australia's chair of selectors George Bailey has stated that captain Pat Cummins will play a "major part" in the forthcoming Ashes series.
Speculation had been growing that the 32-year-old might be unavailable due to a persistent back stress problem that remained unresolved.
Previous updates from the squad suggested no official announcement had been made regarding whether he would play, with the five-Test series set to start on the 21st of November in Perth.
Bailey expressed that Cummins is "building up" and felt positive about the likelihood of taking part.
"We're aware that the window is narrowing and various factors around that, aside from his injury, but further aspects," Bailey remarked.
"It's positive. [We are] really confident that he'll participate in a significant role. Hopefully it's the first Test. If not, we'll adjust."
Previous Setbacks
Cummins was ruled out the white-ball matches against both Asian and Trans-Tasman rivals last month after examinations confirmed a lower back issue.
Previous incidents include of spinal problems, with recurrences in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 leading to absences from multiple domestic campaigns in a short span.
The bowler mentioned he would be bold in recovery efforts in his comeback strategy to make the squad for the contest.
Bailey noted that it was unclear if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his recovery but admitted it was "becoming urgent" for him to recover fully for the initial match.
Backup Options
If he's unavailable, former captain Steve Smith will take over the captaincy.
Versatile player Green was withdrawn recently from the ODI lineup for their ODI contests against India as a preventive step because of an abdominal issue.
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 be ready to bowl."
"Extensive planning has gone into developing the strategy for him to take part for the initial game as an batting and bowling option," the selector detailed.
"Originally, he'd only feature in the initial matches in any case. How he handles the bat in limited-overs, if it causes any delay for 24 more hours, the choice was made to approach this more conservatively."
Series Schedule
The Historic Rivalry
21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026
