The Australian skipper has taken 309 wickets in 71 appearances with an average of 22.10.
The Australian chair of selectors Bailey has stated that pace spearhead Cummins will play a "major part" in this winter's historic rivalry.
Speculation had been growing that the veteran bowler might miss the series due to a stress fracture in his back that was still troubling him.
Earlier indications from the Australian camp suggested no official announcement had been made regarding his involvement, with the Test matches kicking off on November 21 in Western Australia.
The selector shared that the captain is progressing and was "optimistic" about the likelihood of taking part.
"We're aware that the window is narrowing and multiple considerations around that, not only the back issue, but additional elements," he commented.
"We're encouraged. We firmly believe that he will feature a major part. Ideally it's the first Test. Should that not happen, we'll adjust."
Injury History
Cummins was ruled out the ODI and T20 games against both Asian and Trans-Tasman rivals recently after examinations confirmed a lower back issue.
He has a history of recurring issues, with flare-ups in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 leading to absences from several home seasons in a limited period.
He emphasized he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his recovery plan to ensure his availability for the contest.
He mentioned that it was unclear if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his comeback but conceded it was "becoming urgent" for him to recover fully for the opener.
Alternative Arrangements
Should Cummins not be fit, veteran batsman Smith will take over the captaincy.
The talented all-rounder was excluded lately from Australia's squad for their limited-overs matches against India as a precautionary measure because of discomfort in his torso.
Bailey described it as a "minor" injury and mentioned that Green will play in the state-level matches, so will be "in a good place to resume bowling."
"Considerable effort has gone into building out the plan for him to take part for the opening match as an dual-role player," the selector detailed.
"He was only going to play the first two ODIs anyway. His aggressive style the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, if it causes any delay for a short period, we just made the decision to take a cautious route."
Series Schedule
The Ashes: Australia v England
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
