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The Australian selection chief Bailey has declared that captain Pat Cummins will be a central figure in this winter's England-Australia contest.

Rumors had circulated that Cummins might miss the series due to a persistent back stress problem that remained unresolved.

Previous updates from team management suggested no definitive call had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the five-Test series set to start on the 21st of November in Western Australia.

The selector shared that Cummins is "building up" and was "optimistic" about his chances of participating.

"We're aware that the clock is ticking and multiple considerations around that, not only the physical problem, but other factors as well," he commented.

"The outlook is good. We firmly believe that he will feature a major part. Hopefully from the opening match. Otherwise, then we'll pick it up."

Previous Setbacks

Cummins was ruled out the white-ball matches against both Asian and Trans-Tasman rivals in the previous weeks after medical tests showed a lumbar bone stress.

He has a history of recurring issues, with flare-ups in several earlier campaigns forcing him out of multiple domestic campaigns in four years.

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

He mentioned that there was no confirmation if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his rehabilitation but acknowledged it was "getting tight" for him to recover fully for the first Test.

Contingency Plans

Should Cummins not be fit, veteran batsman Smith will assume leadership.

The talented all-rounder was withdrawn recently from Australia's squad for their limited-overs matches against the subcontinent side as a precautionary measure because of soreness in his side.

The selector characterized it as a "small issue and mentioned that he's scheduled to appear in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "well-prepared to be ready to bowl."

"We put so much time has gone into building out the plan for him to be available for the initial game as an batting and bowling option," Bailey explained.

"His involvement was limited to the first two ODIs in any case. The way he swings the willow in shorter formats, should it hinder progress for another day, we just made the decision to adopt a safer strategy."

Fixture Details

The Ashes: Australia v England

Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026