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The Australian selection chief George Bailey has stated that captain Pat Cummins will be a central figure in this winter's historic rivalry.

There were concerns that Cummins might miss the series due to a stress fracture in his back that had not yet healed.

Previous updates from team management suggested no definitive call had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the Test matches scheduled to begin on November 21 in the WACA.

Bailey expressed that the captain is progressing and felt positive about the prospects of participating.

"We know that the window is narrowing and there are permutations around that, not only the physical problem, but additional elements," the selector added.

"It's positive. We firmly believe that he's going to play a major part. Hopefully it's the first Test. If not, we'll adjust."

Previous Setbacks

He was sidelined Australia's limited-overs series against both Asian and Trans-Tasman rivals in the previous weeks after medical tests showed a lower back issue.

There is a track record of spinal problems, with flare-ups in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 forcing him out of three Australian summers in a limited period.

He emphasized he would be bold in recovery efforts in his comeback strategy to secure his spot for the Ashes.

The selector indicated that it was unclear if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his rehabilitation but conceded it was "getting tight" for him to recover fully for the initial match.

Backup Options

If he's unavailable, former captain Steve Smith will lead the side.

All-rounder Cameron Green was withdrawn recently from the national team for their limited-overs matches against the subcontinent side as a precautionary measure because of an abdominal issue.

Bailey described it as a "minor" injury and stated that he'll feature in the state-level matches, so will be "well-prepared to resume bowling."

"We put so much time has gone into building out the plan for him to be available for the initial game as an all-rounder," Bailey explained.

"His involvement was limited to the starting games anyway. His aggressive style the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, should it hinder progress for a short period, we opted to adopt a safer strategy."

Series Schedule

Australia vs England: The Ashes

From November 21, 2025 to January 7, 2026