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The Australian chair of selectors Bailey has declared that pace spearhead Cummins will play a "major part" in this winter's historic rivalry.

There were concerns that the 32-year-old might miss the series due to a stress fracture in his back that was still troubling him.

Previous updates from the Australian camp suggested no official announcement had been made regarding his involvement, with the five-Test series scheduled to begin on the 21st of November in the WACA.

He revealed that his recovery is on track and remained hopeful about his chances of taking part.

"We're aware that time is getting short and there are permutations involved, aside from his injury, but additional elements," he commented.

"The outlook is good. We firmly believe that he will feature a major part. Ideally starting in Perth. Otherwise, we'll reassess."

Past Concerns

The captain missed Australia's limited-overs series against both Asian and Trans-Tasman rivals recently after medical tests showed a stress reaction in his back.

There is a track record of spinal problems, with recurrences in several earlier campaigns forcing him out of several home seasons in a limited period.

He emphasized he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his rehabilitation process to secure his spot for the Ashes.

The selector indicated that it was unclear if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his recovery but admitted it was "becoming urgent" for him to regain fitness for the first Test.

Backup Options

If he's unavailable, veteran batsman Smith will take over the captaincy.

Versatile player Green was recently pulled out from the ODI lineup for their limited-overs matches against the Asian giants as a preventive step because of soreness in his side.

He labeled it as a "small issue and mentioned that he's scheduled to appear in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "well-prepared 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," he elaborated.

"He was only going to play the starting games regardless. How he handles the bat in limited-overs, if it causes any delay for 24 more hours, we opted to take a cautious route."

Match Calendar

The Ashes: Australia v England

Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026