Pat Cummins has secured 309 wickets in 71 appearances with an stellar bowling average.
Australia's selection chief Bailey has confirmed that skipper Cummins will have a crucial role in this winter's historic rivalry.
Speculation had been growing that the veteran bowler might miss the series due to a ongoing back issue that was still troubling him.
Earlier indications from team management suggested no definitive call had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the Test matches set to start on November 21 in the WACA.
He revealed that his recovery is on track and remained hopeful about his chances of taking part.
"It's clear that the clock is ticking and there are permutations involved, not only the back issue, but other factors as well," the selector added.
"The outlook is good. There's strong faith that he'll participate in a key capacity. Ideally starting in Perth. If not, then we'll pick it up."
Past Concerns
Cummins was ruled out the white-ball matches against New Zealand and India recently after examinations confirmed a lumbar bone stress.
Previous incidents include of recurring issues, with recurrences in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 leading to absences from multiple domestic campaigns in four years.
The bowler mentioned he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his recovery plan to secure his spot for the Ashes.
Bailey noted that it was unclear if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his comeback but admitted it was "becoming urgent" for him to recover fully for the initial match.
Contingency Plans
If he's unavailable, ex-skipper Smith will take over the captaincy.
All-rounder Cameron Green was withdrawn recently from the national team for their one-day international series against the Asian giants as a preventive step because of discomfort in his torso.
The selector characterized it as a "minor" injury and stated that he'll feature in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "ideally positioned to resume bowling."
"We put so much time has gone into developing the strategy for him to take part for the first Test as an batting and bowling option," Bailey explained.
"He was only going to play the starting games in any case. The way he swings the willow in shorter formats, if it causes any delay for another day, we opted to approach this more conservatively."
Fixture Details
The Ashes: Australia v England
21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026
