The Australian skipper has taken 309 Test scalps in 71 Test matches with an impressive average.
The Australian chief selector George Bailey has confirmed that captain Pat Cummins will be a central figure in the upcoming England-Australia contest.
Speculation had been growing that the veteran bowler might be unavailable due to a stress fracture in his back that had not yet healed.
Previous updates from the squad suggested no official announcement had been made regarding his involvement, with the five-Test series kicking off on 21 November in Perth.
The selector shared that the captain is progressing and felt positive about the likelihood of participating.
"We know that the clock is ticking and there are permutations around that, not only the back issue, but additional elements," the selector added.
"The outlook is good. There's strong faith that he's going to play a major part. With luck it's the first Test. Otherwise, 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 examinations confirmed a stress reaction in his back.
He has a history of back injuries, with flare-ups in multiple past seasons forcing him out of multiple domestic campaigns in a short span.
Cummins stated he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his rehabilitation process to secure his spot for the Ashes.
Bailey noted that there was no confirmation if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his comeback but admitted it was "pressing" for him to be fit for the first Test.
Contingency Plans
If he's unavailable, former captain Steve Smith will lead the side.
The talented all-rounder was excluded lately from the ODI lineup for their ODI contests against the Asian giants as a safety move because of soreness in his side.
Bailey described it as a "minor" injury and stated that Green will play in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "ideally positioned to resume bowling."
"Extensive planning has gone into building out the plan for him to be available for the initial game as an all-rounder," Bailey explained.
"He was only going to play the starting games anyway. His aggressive style the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, should it hinder progress for a short period, the choice was made to adopt a safer strategy."
Series Schedule
The Historic Rivalry
21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026
