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Australia's chair of selectors Bailey has confirmed that captain Pat Cummins will be a central figure in the forthcoming Ashes series.

Speculation had been growing that the veteran bowler might be unavailable due to a stress fracture in his back that was still troubling him.

Earlier indications from the Australian camp suggested no definitive call had been made regarding whether he would play, with the five-Test series set to start on November 21 in Perth.

Bailey expressed that the captain is progressing and remained hopeful about the likelihood of being involved.

"We're aware that time is getting short and various factors involved, not just his injury, but further aspects," Bailey remarked.

"We're encouraged. We firmly believe that he'll participate in a significant role. Hopefully from the opening match. If not, then we'll pick it up."

Previous Setbacks

Cummins was ruled out Australia's limited-overs series against New Zealand and India in the previous weeks after medical tests showed a stress reaction in his back.

He has a history of spinal problems, with flare-ups in several earlier campaigns leading to absences from three Australian summers in four years.

The bowler mentioned he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his comeback strategy to make the squad for the Ashes.

The selector indicated that he did not know if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his comeback but admitted it was "getting tight" for him to recover fully for the initial match.

Backup Options

In case of absence, ex-skipper 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 precautionary measure because of discomfort in his torso.

He labeled it as a "minor" injury and stated 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 developing the strategy for him to participate for the first Test as an all-rounder," Bailey explained.

"He was only going to play the initial matches anyway. His aggressive style the willow in shorter formats, if it causes any delay for a short period, we opted to approach this more conservatively."

Fixture Details

Australia vs England: The Ashes

Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026