The Australian skipper has secured 309 wickets in 71 appearances with an average of 22.10.
The Australian chief selector Bailey has declared that pace spearhead Cummins will be a central figure in the upcoming historic rivalry.
There were concerns that the 32-year-old might be unavailable due to a stress fracture in his back that was still troubling him.
Initial reports from the squad suggested no official announcement had been made regarding his involvement, with the Test matches scheduled to begin on the 21st of November in Perth.
He revealed that Cummins is "building up" and felt positive about the prospects of taking part.
"It's clear that time is getting short and multiple considerations involved, not just his injury, but further aspects," Bailey remarked.
"The outlook is good. We firmly believe that he will feature a key capacity. With luck starting in Perth. If not, we'll reassess."
Previous Setbacks
The captain missed the white-ball matches against both Asian and Trans-Tasman rivals recently after examinations confirmed a lumbar bone stress.
There is a track record of spinal problems, with setbacks in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 leading to absences from several home seasons in four years.
The bowler mentioned he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his rehabilitation process to ensure his availability for the Ashes.
Bailey noted that it was unclear if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his recovery but admitted it was "getting tight" for him to recover fully for the initial match.
Backup Options
In case of absence, veteran batsman Smith will assume leadership.
The talented all-rounder was excluded lately from the national team for their ODI contests against the Asian giants as a preventive step because of discomfort in his torso.
He labeled it as a "minor" injury and stated that he'll feature in the state-level matches, so will be "in a good place to deliver overs."
"We put so much time has gone into developing the strategy for him to participate for the opening match as an all-rounder," he elaborated.
"His involvement was limited to the first two ODIs anyway. His aggressive style the bat in limited-overs, if it causes any delay for another day, we just made the decision to take a cautious route."
Series Schedule
Australia vs England: The Ashes
21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026
