Pat Cummins has secured 309 wickets in 71 Test matches with an average of 22.10.
Australia's selection chief the selector has confirmed that skipper Cummins will have a crucial role in the forthcoming England-Australia contest.
There were concerns that the veteran bowler might be unavailable due to a stress fracture in his back that was still troubling him.
Previous updates from team management suggested no official announcement had been made regarding his involvement, with the five-Test series set to start on November 21 in the WACA.
Bailey expressed that his recovery is on track and felt positive about the likelihood of participating.
"We know that time is getting short and multiple considerations around that, not only the physical problem, but further aspects," the selector added.
"We're encouraged. We firmly believe that he's going to play a major part. Ideally it's the first Test. Should that not happen, then we'll pick it up."
Injury History
The captain missed the ODI and T20 games against New Zealand and India last month after examinations confirmed a lower back issue.
He has a history of back injuries, with recurrences in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 forcing him out of multiple domestic campaigns in four years.
Cummins stated he would be bold in recovery efforts in his recovery plan to secure his spot for the contest.
He mentioned that there was no confirmation if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his rehabilitation but acknowledged it was "pressing" for him to recover fully for the initial match.
Backup Options
If he's unavailable, former captain Steve Smith will lead the side.
The talented all-rounder was recently pulled out from the national team for their limited-overs matches against the subcontinent side as a precautionary measure because of an abdominal issue.
He labeled it as a "small issue and stated that he'll feature in the state-level matches, so will be "well-prepared to be ready to bowl."
"We put so much time has gone into building out the plan for him to take part for the opening match as an all-rounder," he elaborated.
"His involvement was limited to the initial matches in any case. How he handles the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, if it causes any delay for another day, we opted to approach this more conservatively."
Series Schedule
The Historic Rivalry
From November 21, 2025 to January 7, 2026
