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Australia's selection chief Bailey has declared that captain Pat Cummins will be a central figure in the forthcoming Ashes series.

Rumors had circulated that Cummins might be unavailable due to a stress fracture in his back that had not yet healed.

Previous updates from the Australian camp suggested no final decision had been made regarding whether he would play, with the five-Test series scheduled to begin on November 21 in Perth.

Bailey expressed that Cummins is "building up" and felt positive about the likelihood of being involved.

"We know that the window is narrowing and multiple considerations around that, not just his injury, but other factors as well," Bailey remarked.

"We're encouraged. We firmly believe that he's going to play a key capacity. Ideally starting in Perth. If not, then we'll pick it up."

Previous Setbacks

He was sidelined Australia's limited-overs series against New Zealand and India in the previous weeks after scans revealed a stress reaction in his back.

There is a track record of back injuries, with setbacks in multiple past seasons leading to absences from several home seasons in a limited period.

Cummins stated he would be bold in recovery efforts in his rehabilitation process to ensure his availability for the contest.

He mentioned that it was unclear if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his rehabilitation but conceded it was "pressing" for him to be fit for the first Test.

Backup Options

In case of absence, veteran batsman Smith will assume leadership.

The talented all-rounder was withdrawn recently from the national team for their limited-overs matches against the subcontinent side as a safety move because of soreness in his side.

Bailey described it as a "small issue and confirmed that he's scheduled to appear in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "ideally positioned to resume bowling."

"We put so much time has gone into creating the schedule for him to be available for the initial game as an all-rounder," Bailey explained.

"His involvement was limited to the initial matches in any case. The way he swings the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, even if it just sets him back for a short period, the choice was made to approach this more conservatively."

Fixture Details

The Ashes: Australia v England

Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026