The Australian skipper has claimed over 300 dismissals in 71 appearances with an impressive average.
Australia's chief selector Bailey has declared that captain Pat Cummins will be a central figure in the forthcoming England-Australia contest.
Rumors had circulated that the 32-year-old might miss the series due to a stress fracture in his back that remained unresolved.
Previous updates from team management suggested no definitive call had been made regarding whether he would play, with the extended contest scheduled to begin on November 21 in Western Australia.
The selector shared that the captain is progressing and was "optimistic" about the prospects of participating.
"We know that time is getting short and multiple considerations around that, not just the physical problem, but further aspects," the selector added.
"It's positive. There's strong faith that he will feature a major part. Ideally from the opening match. If not, we'll adjust."
Previous Setbacks
The captain missed the white-ball matches against New Zealand and India recently after medical tests showed a lower back issue.
He has a history of recurring issues, with flare-ups in multiple past seasons causing him to miss several home seasons in a short span.
Cummins stated he would be proactive in his approach in his rehabilitation process to ensure his availability for the Ashes.
He mentioned that it was unclear if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his rehabilitation but conceded it was "becoming urgent" for him to be fit for the initial match.
Alternative Arrangements
If he's unavailable, veteran batsman Smith will lead the side.
Versatile player Green was excluded lately from the ODI lineup for their limited-overs matches against India as a precautionary measure because of soreness in his side.
Bailey described it as a "minor" injury and confirmed that he'll feature in the state-level matches, so will be "in a good place to resume bowling."
"Extensive planning has gone into building out the plan for him to be available for the first Test as an batting and bowling option," he elaborated.
"Originally, he'd only feature in the starting games in any case. How he handles the bat in limited-overs, if it causes any delay for another day, the choice was made to adopt a safer strategy."
Match Calendar
The Ashes: Australia v England
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
