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The Australian chief selector the selector has confirmed that pace spearhead Cummins will be a central figure in this winter's Ashes series.

Speculation had been growing that the 32-year-old might be unavailable due to a persistent back stress problem that remained unresolved.

Previous updates from the Australian camp suggested no official announcement had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the five-Test series set to start on November 21 in Western Australia.

Bailey expressed that the captain is progressing and was "optimistic" about the likelihood of taking part.

"We're aware that the clock is ticking and there are permutations at play, not just his injury, but further aspects," Bailey remarked.

"We're encouraged. There's strong faith that he will feature a key capacity. Ideally it's the first Test. Should that not happen, we'll reassess."

Previous Setbacks

He was sidelined the ODI and T20 games against New Zealand and India in the previous weeks after examinations confirmed a stress reaction in his back.

There is a track record of back injuries, with flare-ups in multiple past seasons forcing him out of multiple domestic campaigns in four years.

He emphasized he would be proactive in his approach in his rehabilitation process to make the squad for the contest.

He mentioned that there was no confirmation if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his rehabilitation but admitted it was "becoming urgent" for him to regain fitness for the initial match.

Contingency Plans

Should Cummins not be fit, former captain Steve Smith will assume leadership.

All-rounder Cameron Green was withdrawn recently from the national team for their one-day international series against the Asian giants as a precautionary measure because of soreness in his side.

The selector characterized it as a "slight concern and mentioned that he'll feature in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "in a good place to deliver overs."

"We put so much time has gone into building out the plan for him to be available for the first Test as an dual-role player," Bailey explained.

"Originally, he'd only feature in the first two ODIs anyway. His aggressive style the bat in limited-overs, should it hinder progress for 24 more hours, the choice was made to adopt a safer strategy."

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