Pat Cummins has secured 309 wickets in 71 Test matches with an stellar bowling average.
Australia's chair of selectors George Bailey has declared that captain Pat Cummins will be a central figure in the forthcoming Ashes series.
There were concerns that the 32-year-old might be unavailable due to a ongoing back issue that remained unresolved.
Previous updates from the Australian camp suggested no final decision had been made regarding whether he would play, with the Test matches scheduled to begin on 21 November in the WACA.
Bailey expressed that the captain is progressing and remained hopeful about the prospects of taking part.
"We know that the clock is ticking and there are permutations at play, not only his injury, but other factors as well," he commented.
"The outlook is good. There's strong faith that he will feature a key capacity. Ideally it's the first Test. Otherwise, we'll reassess."
Injury History
Cummins was ruled out the ODI and T20 games against India and New Zealand recently after medical tests showed a lower back issue.
There is a track record of spinal problems, with recurrences in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 forcing him out of three Australian summers in four years.
He emphasized he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his comeback strategy to secure his spot for the Ashes.
The selector indicated that he did not know if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his comeback but acknowledged it was "pressing" for him to regain fitness for the first Test.
Contingency Plans
In case of absence, former captain Steve Smith will assume leadership.
Versatile player Green was withdrawn recently from Australia's squad for their one-day international series against the Asian giants as a precautionary measure because of discomfort in his torso.
The selector characterized it as a "slight concern and stated that he'll feature in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "ideally positioned to resume bowling."
"Considerable effort has gone into creating the schedule for him to take part for the initial game as an dual-role player," Bailey explained.
"His involvement was limited to the starting games regardless. His aggressive style the willow in shorter formats, if it causes any delay for a short period, we just made the decision to take a cautious route."
Match Calendar
Australia vs England: The Ashes
From November 21, 2025 to January 7, 2026
