The Australian skipper has claimed 309 wickets in 71 Test matches with an stellar bowling average.
The Australian chair of selectors Bailey has declared that captain Pat Cummins will be a central figure in this winter's Ashes series.
Rumors had circulated that the 32-year-old might miss the series due to a stress fracture in his back that was still troubling him.
Previous updates from the Australian camp suggested no definitive call had been made regarding whether he would play, with the five-Test series kicking off on 21 November in Western Australia.
He revealed that Cummins is "building up" and remained hopeful about his chances of being involved.
"It's clear that the window is narrowing and various factors around that, not only the back issue, but other factors as well," the selector added.
"The outlook is good. [We are] really confident that he will feature a significant role. Hopefully it's the first Test. Otherwise, we'll reassess."
Previous Setbacks
Cummins was ruled out Australia's limited-overs series against India and New Zealand in the previous weeks after scans revealed a stress reaction in his back.
He has a history of recurring issues, with flare-ups in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 forcing him out of several home seasons in a short span.
Cummins stated he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his comeback strategy to secure his spot for the contest.
The selector indicated that it was unclear if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his rehabilitation but acknowledged it was "pressing" for him to be fit for the initial match.
Contingency Plans
In case of absence, former captain Steve Smith will take over the captaincy.
The talented all-rounder was recently pulled out from Australia's squad for their limited-overs matches against the subcontinent side as a preventive step because of soreness in his side.
Bailey described it as a "slight concern and stated that he'll feature in the state-level matches, so will be "in a good place to resume bowling."
"Extensive planning has gone into building out the plan for him to participate for the initial game as an batting and bowling option," he elaborated.
"His involvement was limited to the first two ODIs in any case. The way he swings the willow in shorter formats, even if it just sets him back for 24 more hours, we just made the decision to adopt a safer strategy."
Fixture Details
The Ashes: Australia v England
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
