Pat Cummins has secured over 300 dismissals in 71 five-day games with an average of 22.10.
The Australian chair of selectors Bailey has declared that skipper Cummins will play a "major part" in the forthcoming historic rivalry.
Rumors had circulated that the veteran bowler might be unavailable due to a ongoing back issue that had not yet healed.
Previous updates from the squad suggested no final decision had been made regarding whether he would play, with the five-Test series set to start on 21 November in Western Australia.
Bailey expressed that his recovery is on track and remained hopeful about the likelihood of participating.
"It's clear that time is getting short and various factors at play, not just the back issue, but additional elements," he commented.
"We're encouraged. We firmly believe that he will feature a significant role. Ideally from the opening match. Should that not happen, we'll reassess."
Previous Setbacks
The captain missed the ODI and T20 games against India and New Zealand recently after examinations confirmed a stress reaction in his back.
He has a history of recurring issues, with recurrences in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 causing him to miss several home seasons in a short span.
The bowler mentioned he would be bold in recovery efforts in his recovery plan to secure his spot for the Ashes.
The selector indicated that there was no confirmation if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his rehabilitation but conceded it was "pressing" for him to regain fitness for the first Test.
Alternative Arrangements
Should Cummins not be fit, veteran batsman Smith will assume leadership.
The talented all-rounder was excluded lately from the national team for their limited-overs matches against the subcontinent side as a safety move because of soreness in his side.
The selector characterized it as a "small issue and confirmed that he'll feature in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "ideally positioned to be ready to bowl."
"Considerable effort has gone into building out the plan for him to participate for the opening match as an all-rounder," the selector detailed.
"Originally, he'd only feature in the initial matches in any case. How he handles the bat in limited-overs, should it hinder progress for another day, we just made the decision to take a cautious route."
Match Calendar
The Historic Rivalry
21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026
