The Australian skipper has secured 309 wickets in 71 appearances with an stellar bowling average.
Australia's chief selector the selector has stated that pace spearhead Cummins will play a "major part" in this winter's England-Australia contest.
Rumors had circulated that the 32-year-old might miss the series due to a persistent back stress problem that was still troubling him.
Earlier indications from the squad suggested no final decision had been made regarding whether he would play, with the five-Test series 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 know that the window is narrowing and there are permutations at play, aside from his injury, but other factors as well," he commented.
"We're encouraged. We firmly believe that he will feature a major part. Ideally from the opening match. If not, we'll reassess."
Previous Setbacks
Cummins was ruled out Australia's limited-overs series against India and New Zealand in the previous weeks after examinations confirmed a stress reaction in his back.
Previous incidents include of back injuries, with setbacks in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 leading to absences from multiple domestic campaigns in a short span.
Cummins stated he would be proactive in his approach in his recovery plan to secure his spot for the contest.
Bailey noted that he did not know 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 initial match.
Backup Options
In case of absence, veteran batsman Smith will take over the captaincy.
All-rounder Cameron Green was withdrawn recently from the ODI lineup for their ODI contests against India as a safety move because of soreness in his side.
Bailey described it as a "small issue and mentioned that he's scheduled to appear in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "well-prepared to deliver overs."
"Extensive planning has gone into developing the strategy for him to be available for the first Test as an dual-role player," Bailey explained.
"He was only going to play the initial matches anyway. His aggressive style the bat in limited-overs, should it hinder progress for another day, we just made the decision to take a cautious route."
Fixture Details
The Historic Rivalry
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
