The pace bowler has taken over 300 dismissals in 71 five-day games with an impressive average.
The Australian selection chief Bailey has confirmed that pace spearhead Cummins will be a central figure in this winter's Ashes series.
There were concerns that the veteran bowler might miss the series due to a persistent back stress problem that had not yet healed.
Previous updates from the squad suggested no final decision had been made regarding his involvement, with the five-Test series set to start on 21 November in Western Australia.
He revealed that the captain is progressing and remained hopeful about the likelihood of being involved.
"It's clear that the clock is ticking and there are permutations involved, not only his injury, but other factors as well," he commented.
"The outlook is good. We firmly believe that he will feature a key capacity. Ideally starting in Perth. If not, we'll reassess."
Previous Setbacks
Cummins was ruled out the ODI and T20 games against New Zealand and India 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 causing him to miss three Australian summers in four years.
The bowler mentioned he would be bold in recovery efforts in his comeback strategy to secure his spot for the contest.
The selector indicated that there was no confirmation if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his recovery but conceded it was "pressing" for him to recover fully for the initial match.
Backup Options
Should Cummins not be fit, veteran batsman Smith will lead the side.
Versatile player Green was withdrawn recently from Australia's squad for their limited-overs matches against India as a safety move because of soreness in his side.
He labeled it as a "slight concern and stated that he's scheduled to appear in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "ideally positioned to be ready to bowl."
"We put so much time has gone into developing the strategy for him to be available for the initial game as an batting and bowling option," Bailey explained.
"He was only going to play the first two ODIs in any case. The way he swings the willow in shorter formats, even if it just sets him back for another day, the choice was made to adopt a safer strategy."
Fixture Details
The Ashes: Australia v England
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
