Pat Cummins has taken over 300 dismissals in 71 five-day games with an average of 22.10.
The Australian selection chief George Bailey has confirmed that captain Pat Cummins will have a crucial role in the forthcoming England-Australia contest.
Speculation had been growing that the 32-year-old might be unavailable due to a stress fracture in his back that was still troubling him.
Earlier indications from the Australian camp suggested no final decision had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the extended contest kicking off on 21 November in the WACA.
The selector shared that Cummins is "building up" and remained hopeful about the prospects of participating.
"We're aware that the window is narrowing and there are permutations around that, aside from the back issue, but additional elements," the selector added.
"We're encouraged. [We are] really confident that he's going to play a major part. With luck from the opening match. Otherwise, we'll reassess."
Injury History
Cummins was ruled out the ODI and T20 games against New Zealand and India recently after scans revealed a lower back issue.
Previous incidents include of spinal problems, with setbacks in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 leading to absences from three Australian summers in four years.
The bowler mentioned he would be bold in recovery efforts in his rehabilitation process to make the squad for the contest.
The selector indicated that he did not know if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his comeback but conceded it was "pressing" for him to be fit for the first Test.
Contingency Plans
If he's unavailable, veteran batsman Smith will take over the captaincy.
Versatile player Green was recently pulled out from the national team for their ODI contests against the subcontinent side as a precautionary measure because of soreness in his side.
Bailey described it as a "slight concern and confirmed that he's scheduled to appear in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "well-prepared to be ready to bowl."
"Extensive planning has gone into developing the strategy for him to participate for the first Test as an batting and bowling option," he elaborated.
"His involvement was limited to the initial matches anyway. The way he swings the bat in limited-overs, even if it just sets him back for another day, the choice was made to approach this more conservatively."
Fixture Details
Australia vs England: The Ashes
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
