The Australian skipper has taken over 300 dismissals in 71 appearances with an stellar bowling average.
The Australian chair of selectors Bailey has stated that pace spearhead Cummins will have a crucial role in the upcoming England-Australia contest.
There were concerns that the 32-year-old might be unavailable due to a ongoing back issue that remained unresolved.
Previous updates from the Australian camp suggested no final decision had been made regarding whether he would play, with the extended contest scheduled to begin on 21 November in Western Australia.
The selector shared that Cummins is "building up" and remained hopeful about his chances of taking part.
"We're aware that the clock is ticking and there are permutations involved, not just the back issue, but other factors as well," the selector added.
"We're encouraged. We firmly believe that he will feature a key capacity. Hopefully it's the first Test. Otherwise, then we'll pick it up."
Injury History
He was sidelined the white-ball matches against New Zealand and India last month after scans revealed a stress reaction in his back.
There is a track record of spinal problems, with flare-ups in several earlier campaigns leading to absences from several home seasons in a short span.
The bowler mentioned he would be proactive in his approach in his rehabilitation process to ensure his availability for the Ashes.
The selector indicated that there was no confirmation if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his rehabilitation but conceded it was "pressing" for him to regain fitness for the opener.
Contingency Plans
If he's unavailable, veteran batsman Smith will assume leadership.
All-rounder Cameron Green was recently pulled out from the ODI lineup for their limited-overs matches against India as a precautionary measure because of discomfort in his torso.
He labeled it as a "minor" injury and confirmed that he's scheduled to appear in the state-level matches, so will be "ideally positioned to deliver overs."
"Extensive planning has gone into creating the schedule for him to take part for the initial game as an all-rounder," Bailey explained.
"He was only going to play the starting games anyway. His aggressive style the bat in limited-overs, if it causes any delay for another day, we opted to approach this more conservatively."
Match Calendar
The Historic Rivalry
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
