The Australian skipper has taken over 300 dismissals in 71 appearances with an impressive average.
Australia's chief selector Bailey has confirmed that pace spearhead Cummins will have a crucial role in the upcoming England-Australia contest.
Speculation had been growing that Cummins might be unavailable due to a stress fracture in his back that had not yet healed.
Initial reports from the Australian camp suggested no final decision had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the Test matches set to start on the 21st of November in Western Australia.
He revealed that the captain is progressing and remained hopeful about the prospects of taking part.
"It's clear that the window is narrowing and multiple considerations involved, not just the back issue, but additional elements," Bailey remarked.
"The outlook is good. We firmly believe that he's going to play a significant role. With luck from the opening match. Otherwise, then we'll pick it up."
Previous Setbacks
He was sidelined the white-ball matches against both Asian and Trans-Tasman rivals recently after examinations confirmed a lumbar bone stress.
He has a history of back injuries, with flare-ups in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 causing him to miss three Australian summers in a limited period.
He emphasized he would be proactive in his approach in his recovery plan to make the squad for the contest.
Bailey noted that he did not know if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his rehabilitation but acknowledged it was "pressing" for him to regain fitness for the first Test.
Alternative Arrangements
In case of absence, veteran batsman Smith will take over the captaincy.
Versatile player Green was excluded lately from Australia's squad for their one-day international series against the Asian giants as a precautionary measure because of discomfort in his torso.
The selector characterized it as a "minor" injury and confirmed that he's scheduled to appear in the state-level matches, so will be "in a good place to deliver overs."
"We put so much time has gone into developing the strategy for him to be available for the opening match as an all-rounder," Bailey explained.
"His involvement was limited to the initial matches in any case. How he handles the bat in limited-overs, should it hinder progress for a short period, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively."
Fixture Details
The Historic Rivalry
21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026
