The pace bowler has claimed 309 wickets in 71 appearances with an impressive average.
The Australian chief selector Bailey has confirmed that skipper Cummins will play a "major part" in this winter's England-Australia contest.
Rumors had circulated that the veteran bowler might sit out due to a stress fracture in his back that was still troubling him.
Initial reports from team management suggested no official announcement had been made regarding his involvement, with the extended contest kicking off on November 21 in Perth.
The selector shared that the captain is progressing and remained hopeful about the prospects of being involved.
"It's clear that the clock is ticking and multiple considerations around that, not only the back issue, but other factors as well," he commented.
"We're encouraged. There's strong faith that he's going to play a major part. Ideally starting in Perth. Should that not happen, then we'll pick it up."
Past Concerns
The captain missed Australia's limited-overs series against India and New Zealand recently after medical tests showed a stress reaction in his back.
There is a track record of recurring issues, with recurrences in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 leading to absences from multiple domestic campaigns in a limited period.
He emphasized he would be proactive in his approach in his rehabilitation process to make the squad for the contest.
The selector indicated that it was unclear if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his recovery but admitted it was "becoming urgent" for him to regain fitness for the first Test.
Contingency Plans
If he's unavailable, former captain Steve Smith will lead the side.
All-rounder Cameron Green was excluded lately from Australia's squad for their one-day international series against the subcontinent side as a preventive step because of discomfort in his torso.
The selector characterized it as a "slight concern and mentioned that he's scheduled to appear in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "in a good place to deliver overs."
"Considerable effort has gone into building out the plan for him to be available for the first Test as an all-rounder," the selector detailed.
"He was only going to play the first two ODIs anyway. The way he swings the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, if it causes any delay for 24 more hours, we opted to adopt a safer strategy."
Series Schedule
The Historic Rivalry
From November 21, 2025 to January 7, 2026
