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The Australian chair of selectors Bailey has declared that skipper Cummins will play a "major part" in the upcoming England-Australia contest.

There were concerns that the 32-year-old might miss the series due to a ongoing back issue that was still troubling him.

Earlier indications from the squad suggested no definitive call had been made regarding whether he would play, with the extended contest scheduled to begin on November 21 in the WACA.

He revealed that the captain is progressing and remained hopeful about the likelihood of being involved.

"We're aware that the window is narrowing and various factors around that, not only the back issue, but further aspects," Bailey remarked.

"It's positive. [We are] really confident that he'll participate in a key capacity. Hopefully starting in Perth. Should that not happen, then we'll pick it up."

Injury History

The captain missed the white-ball matches against India and New Zealand last month after scans revealed a lumbar bone stress.

There is a track record of recurring issues, with setbacks in several earlier campaigns causing him to miss three Australian summers in a short span.

Cummins stated he would be bold in recovery efforts in his comeback strategy to secure his spot for the Ashes.

He mentioned that there was no confirmation if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his rehabilitation but conceded it was "getting tight" for him to be fit for the first Test.

Contingency Plans

If he's unavailable, former captain Steve Smith will take over the captaincy.

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 an abdominal issue.

Bailey described it as a "small issue and confirmed that he's scheduled to appear in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "well-prepared to be ready to bowl."

"We put so much time has gone into building out the plan for him to participate for the first Test as an all-rounder," he elaborated.

"His involvement was limited to the initial matches anyway. His aggressive style the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, should it hinder progress for 24 more hours, the choice was made to approach this more conservatively."

Fixture Details

Australia vs England: The Ashes

Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026