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Australia's chair of selectors George Bailey has stated that pace spearhead Cummins will have a crucial role in the upcoming Ashes series.

Speculation had been growing that the veteran bowler might miss the series due to a stress fracture in his back that was still troubling him.

Previous updates from the squad suggested no definitive call had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the extended contest set to start on the 21st of November in the WACA.

He revealed that Cummins is "building up" and was "optimistic" about the likelihood of taking part.

"We know that the window is narrowing and there are permutations involved, not just the back issue, but further aspects," Bailey remarked.

"It's positive. We firmly believe that he will feature a key capacity. With luck from the opening match. Should that not happen, then we'll pick it up."

Past Concerns

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

There is a track record of recurring issues, with recurrences in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 leading to absences from several home seasons in a short span.

He emphasized he would be proactive in his approach in his rehabilitation process to secure his spot for the series.

Bailey noted that there was no confirmation if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his rehabilitation but admitted it was "getting tight" for him to be fit for the first Test.

Backup Options

If he's unavailable, former captain Steve 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 safety move because of soreness in his side.

Bailey described it as a "slight concern and stated that he's scheduled to appear in the state-level matches, so will be "in a good place to resume bowling."

"We put so much time has gone into building out the plan for him to be available for the first Test as an dual-role player," Bailey explained.

"Originally, he'd only feature in the initial matches in any case. How he handles the willow in shorter formats, should it hinder progress for another day, we just made the decision to adopt a safer strategy."

Series Schedule

The Historic Rivalry

21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026