The pace bowler has secured over 300 dismissals in 71 five-day games with an average of 22.10.
Australia's chair of selectors the selector has declared that skipper Cummins will be a central figure in this winter's England-Australia contest.
There were concerns that the 32-year-old might be unavailable due to a persistent back stress problem that had not yet healed.
Previous updates from the squad suggested no final decision had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the five-Test series kicking off on 21 November in Western Australia.
The selector shared that his recovery is on track and remained hopeful about the likelihood of being involved.
"It's clear that the clock is ticking and there are permutations around that, not just the back issue, but other factors as well," Bailey remarked.
"It's positive. [We are] really confident that he'll participate in a major part. Hopefully starting in Perth. Should that not happen, we'll reassess."
Previous Setbacks
Cummins was ruled out Australia's limited-overs series against India and New Zealand in the previous weeks after examinations confirmed a lumbar bone stress.
Previous incidents include of back injuries, with setbacks in multiple past seasons leading to absences from several home seasons in a short span.
He emphasized he would be proactive in his approach in his recovery plan to ensure his availability for the contest.
The selector indicated that he did not know if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his recovery but admitted it was "becoming urgent" for him to regain fitness for the opener.
Alternative Arrangements
If he's unavailable, former captain Steve Smith will take over the captaincy.
All-rounder Cameron Green was recently pulled out from the national team for their limited-overs matches against the Asian giants as a safety move because of an abdominal issue.
Bailey described it as a "small issue and confirmed that he'll feature in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "in a good place to be ready to bowl."
"We put so much time has gone into building out the plan for him to participate for the first Test as an batting and bowling option," the selector detailed.
"His involvement was limited to the first two ODIs regardless. How he handles the willow in shorter formats, if it causes any delay for 24 more hours, we opted to approach this more conservatively."
Fixture Details
The Ashes: Australia v England
21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026
