Pat Cummins has claimed 309 wickets in 71 appearances with an average of 22.10.
Australia's selection chief George Bailey has stated that captain Pat Cummins will play a "major part" in this winter's England-Australia contest.
Rumors had circulated that Cummins might miss the series due to a stress fracture in his back that had not yet healed.
Previous updates from the Australian camp suggested no definitive call had been made regarding whether he would play, with the Test matches scheduled to begin on 21 November in Perth.
Bailey expressed that his recovery is on track and felt positive about the prospects of being involved.
"It's clear that time is getting short and there are permutations around that, not just the physical problem, but other factors as well," Bailey remarked.
"It's positive. [We are] really confident that he will feature a major part. Ideally starting in Perth. Should that not happen, then we'll pick it up."
Previous Setbacks
The captain missed the white-ball matches against New Zealand and India in the previous weeks after medical tests showed a lumbar bone stress.
He has a history of back injuries, with flare-ups in several earlier campaigns forcing him out of multiple domestic campaigns in four years.
He emphasized he would be proactive in his approach in his recovery plan to ensure his availability for the contest.
He mentioned that he did not know if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his recovery but conceded it was "pressing" for him to regain fitness for the initial match.
Alternative Arrangements
If he's unavailable, former captain Steve Smith will assume leadership.
Versatile player Green was recently pulled out from the national team for their one-day international series against the Asian giants as a precautionary measure because of discomfort in his torso.
He labeled it as a "minor" injury and stated that he'll feature in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "in a good place to resume bowling."
"Considerable effort has gone into creating the schedule for him to take part for the initial game as an batting and bowling option," he elaborated.
"He was only going to play the first two ODIs in any case. How he handles the bat in limited-overs, if it causes any delay for a short period, the choice was made to adopt a safer strategy."
Series Schedule
Australia vs England: The Ashes
From November 21, 2025 to January 7, 2026
