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The Australian selection chief George Bailey has confirmed that pace spearhead Cummins will play a "major part" in this winter's Ashes series.

There were concerns that Cummins might sit out due to a persistent back stress problem that remained unresolved.

Earlier indications from team management suggested no final decision had been made regarding whether he would play, with the five-Test series scheduled to begin on November 21 in Western Australia.

He revealed that Cummins is "building up" and remained hopeful about the likelihood of being involved.

"It's clear that time is getting short and there are permutations involved, not just his injury, but further aspects," he commented.

"We're encouraged. There's strong faith that he's going to play a significant role. Ideally from the opening match. Should that not happen, we'll adjust."

Injury History

Cummins was ruled out 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 recurrences in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 forcing him out of multiple domestic campaigns in four years.

Cummins stated he would be bold in recovery efforts in his recovery plan to secure his spot for the contest.

Bailey noted that there was no confirmation if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his comeback but acknowledged it was "getting tight" for him to recover fully for the initial match.

Backup Options

If he's unavailable, veteran batsman Smith will assume leadership.

Versatile player Green was recently pulled out from Australia's squad for their one-day international series against the Asian giants as a precautionary measure because of soreness in his side.

The selector characterized it as a "small issue and mentioned that he'll feature in the state-level matches, so will be "in a good place to be ready to bowl."

"Extensive planning has gone into building out the plan for him to take part for the opening match as an batting and bowling option," Bailey explained.

"He was only going to play the initial matches regardless. How he handles the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, should it hinder progress for another day, we just made the decision to adopt a safer strategy."

Fixture Details

Australia vs England: The Ashes

Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026