The pace bowler has taken over 300 dismissals in 71 Test matches with an impressive average.
Australia's chair of selectors George Bailey has declared that captain Pat Cummins will play a "major part" in this winter's Ashes series.
Rumors had circulated that Cummins might be unavailable due to a stress fracture in his back that remained unresolved.
Previous updates from team management suggested no definitive call had been made regarding his involvement, with the Test matches kicking off on 21 November in Perth.
He revealed that the captain is progressing and felt positive about the prospects of being involved.
"We know that the window is narrowing and various factors involved, not just the back issue, but other factors as well," Bailey remarked.
"The outlook is good. There's strong faith that he'll participate in a major part. Ideally it's the first Test. If not, then we'll pick it up."
Past Concerns
Cummins was ruled out the white-ball matches against New Zealand and India in the previous weeks after examinations confirmed a lower back issue.
He has a history of back injuries, with flare-ups in several earlier campaigns causing him to miss multiple domestic campaigns in a limited period.
He emphasized he would be bold in recovery efforts in his comeback strategy to make the squad for the contest.
Bailey noted that there was no confirmation if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his comeback but admitted it was "getting tight" for him to be fit for the opener.
Contingency Plans
If he's unavailable, former captain Steve Smith will assume leadership.
The talented all-rounder was recently pulled out from the ODI lineup for their limited-overs matches against the subcontinent side as a precautionary measure because of an abdominal issue.
Bailey described it as a "small issue and mentioned that he'll feature in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "in a good place to be ready to bowl."
"Considerable effort has gone into building out the plan for him to be available for the first Test as an dual-role player," Bailey explained.
"He was only going to play the starting games regardless. The way he swings the willow in shorter formats, should it hinder progress for another day, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively."
Series Schedule
The Ashes: Australia v England
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
