Pat Cummins has secured over 300 dismissals in 71 five-day games with an impressive average.
The Australian chief selector the selector has declared that captain Pat Cummins will be a central figure in the forthcoming historic rivalry.
Rumors had circulated that Cummins might sit out due to a persistent back stress problem that was still troubling him.
Earlier indications from the Australian camp suggested no official announcement had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the extended contest scheduled to begin on the 21st of November in the WACA.
The selector shared that the captain is progressing and remained hopeful about his chances of taking part.
"It's clear that time is getting short and various factors involved, aside from the physical problem, but further aspects," Bailey remarked.
"The outlook is good. [We are] really confident that he'll participate in a key capacity. Hopefully it's the first Test. If not, we'll adjust."
Past Concerns
Cummins was ruled out the ODI and T20 games against New Zealand and India recently after scans revealed a stress reaction in his back.
Previous incidents include of spinal problems, with setbacks in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 forcing him out of several home seasons in four years.
Cummins stated he would be proactive in his approach in his rehabilitation process to make the squad for the contest.
Bailey noted that it was unclear if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his rehabilitation but admitted it was "becoming urgent" for him to regain fitness for the first Test.
Contingency Plans
If he's unavailable, former captain Steve Smith will assume leadership.
The talented all-rounder was withdrawn recently from the national team for their one-day international series against India as a preventive step because of an abdominal issue.
Bailey described it as a "minor" injury and mentioned that he's scheduled to appear in the state-level matches, so will be "ideally positioned to resume bowling."
"We put so much time has gone into developing the strategy for him to participate for the first Test as an dual-role player," he elaborated.
"He was only going to play the starting games anyway. His aggressive style the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, even if it just sets him back for 24 more hours, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively."
Series Schedule
The Ashes: Australia v England
21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026
