The pace bowler has claimed 309 wickets in 71 Test matches with an impressive average.
Australia's chair of selectors Bailey has confirmed that pace spearhead Cummins will play a "major part" in this winter's England-Australia contest.
Speculation had been growing that the 32-year-old might miss the series due to a ongoing back issue that had not yet healed.
Previous updates from the squad suggested no definitive call had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the Test matches kicking off on the 21st of November in Western Australia.
He revealed that his recovery is on track and remained hopeful about the likelihood of participating.
"We know that time is getting short and multiple considerations at play, aside from his injury, but further aspects," he commented.
"We're encouraged. [We are] really confident that he will feature a major part. Hopefully from the opening match. Should that not happen, then we'll pick it up."
Injury History
He was sidelined the ODI and T20 games against New Zealand and India in the previous weeks after medical tests showed a lumbar bone stress.
He has a history of recurring issues, with recurrences in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 leading to absences from three Australian summers in a short span.
The bowler mentioned he would be bold in recovery efforts in his comeback strategy to make the squad for the series.
The selector indicated that he did not know if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his recovery but admitted it was "becoming urgent" for him to recover fully for the first Test.
Alternative Arrangements
If he's unavailable, ex-skipper Smith will assume leadership.
The talented all-rounder was withdrawn recently from Australia's squad for their ODI contests against the subcontinent side as a precautionary measure because of an abdominal issue.
He labeled it as a "minor" injury and mentioned that he'll feature in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "ideally positioned to be ready to bowl."
"Considerable effort has gone into developing the strategy for him to take part for the initial game as an all-rounder," he elaborated.
"He was only going to play the first two ODIs in any case. His aggressive style the willow in shorter formats, even if it just sets him back for a short period, the choice was made to approach this more conservatively."
Series Schedule
The Historic Rivalry
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
