Pat Cummins has taken over 300 dismissals in 71 five-day games with an impressive average.
Australia's chair of selectors George Bailey has confirmed that captain Pat Cummins will play a "major part" in this winter's England-Australia contest.
Rumors had circulated that Cummins might be unavailable due to a ongoing back issue that had not yet healed.
Previous updates from team management suggested no definitive call had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the extended contest set to start on November 21 in Western Australia.
The selector shared that his recovery is on track and remained hopeful about the prospects of being involved.
"We're aware that the clock is ticking and multiple considerations at play, not just the back issue, but other factors as well," he commented.
"The outlook is good. [We are] really confident that he will feature a key capacity. Hopefully it's the first Test. Otherwise, we'll reassess."
Injury History
He was sidelined Australia's limited-overs series against India and New Zealand in the previous weeks after scans revealed a stress reaction in his back.
He has a history of back injuries, with setbacks in multiple past seasons forcing him out of three Australian summers in four years.
He emphasized he would be proactive in his approach in his comeback strategy to ensure his availability for the contest.
The selector indicated that it was unclear if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his comeback but acknowledged it was "getting tight" for him to recover fully for the initial match.
Backup Options
Should Cummins not be fit, ex-skipper Smith will lead the side.
Versatile player Green was excluded lately from the national team for their one-day international series against the Asian giants as a preventive step because of soreness in his side.
The selector characterized it as a "slight concern and mentioned that Green will play in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "in a good place to resume bowling."
"We put so much time has gone into developing the strategy for him to participate for the first Test as an batting and bowling option," the selector detailed.
"His involvement was limited to the initial matches anyway. How he handles the bat in limited-overs, should it hinder progress for a short period, the choice was made to approach this more conservatively."
Fixture Details
Australia vs England: The Ashes
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
