Pat Cummins has taken 309 wickets in 71 appearances with an stellar bowling average.
Australia's chair of selectors George Bailey has declared that captain Pat Cummins will play a "major part" in the forthcoming Ashes series.
Speculation had been growing that Cummins might be unavailable due to a persistent back stress problem that was still troubling him.
Earlier indications from the Australian camp suggested no final decision had been made regarding whether he would play, with the five-Test series scheduled to begin on November 21 in Perth.
The selector shared that the captain is progressing and remained hopeful about the likelihood of being involved.
"It's clear that time is getting short and there are permutations at play, not only the physical problem, but additional elements," the selector added.
"It's positive. There's strong faith that he will feature a key capacity. Ideally from the opening match. If not, then we'll pick it up."
Previous Setbacks
He was sidelined Australia's limited-overs series against New Zealand and India recently after scans revealed a lower back issue.
There is a track record of recurring issues, with recurrences in multiple past seasons causing him to miss multiple domestic campaigns in a short span.
Cummins stated he would be proactive in his approach in his rehabilitation process to secure his spot for the series.
He mentioned that it was unclear if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his rehabilitation but conceded it was "pressing" for him to regain fitness for the first Test.
Alternative Arrangements
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 discomfort in his torso.
The selector characterized it as a "small issue and confirmed that Green will play in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "ideally positioned to resume bowling."
"Extensive planning has gone into developing the strategy for him to take part for the initial game as an batting and bowling option," he elaborated.
"He was only going to play the initial matches regardless. His aggressive style the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, if it causes any delay for 24 more hours, the choice was made to adopt a safer strategy."
Series Schedule
The Historic Rivalry
21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026
