The Australian skipper has taken 309 Test scalps in 71 appearances with an stellar bowling average.
The Australian chief selector George Bailey has confirmed that pace spearhead Cummins will play a "major part" in the upcoming England-Australia contest.
There were concerns that the 32-year-old might be unavailable due to a stress fracture in his back that remained unresolved.
Initial reports from team management suggested no official announcement had been made regarding whether he would play, with the Test matches scheduled to begin on the 21st of November in Western Australia.
Bailey expressed that his recovery is on track and remained hopeful about the likelihood of participating.
"We're aware that time is getting short and various factors involved, aside from the back issue, but further aspects," Bailey remarked.
"It's positive. [We are] really confident that he's going to play a significant role. Ideally starting in Perth. Should that not happen, then we'll pick it up."
Injury History
Cummins was ruled out the white-ball matches against India and New Zealand in the previous weeks after examinations confirmed a lower back issue.
Previous incidents include of back injuries, with flare-ups in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 leading to absences from multiple domestic campaigns in a limited period.
He emphasized he would be proactive in his approach in his comeback strategy to secure his spot for the series.
Bailey noted that there was no confirmation if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his comeback but conceded it was "getting tight" for him to regain fitness for the initial match.
Contingency Plans
If he's unavailable, veteran batsman Smith will assume leadership.
The talented all-rounder was withdrawn recently from Australia's squad for their one-day international series against India as a preventive step because of an abdominal issue.
Bailey described it as a "slight concern and stated that he'll feature in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "ideally positioned to deliver overs."
"Considerable effort has gone into building out the plan for him to participate for the initial game as an dual-role player," the selector detailed.
"He was only going to play the initial matches anyway. The way he swings the bat in limited-overs, even if it just sets him back for another day, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively."
Series Schedule
Australia vs England: The Ashes
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
