Pat Cummins has secured over 300 dismissals in 71 five-day games with an average of 22.10.
Australia's selection chief George Bailey has declared that captain Pat Cummins will be a central figure in this winter's historic rivalry.
There were concerns that Cummins might be unavailable due to a ongoing back issue that remained unresolved.
Previous updates from the Australian camp suggested no definitive call had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the extended contest scheduled to begin on 21 November in Western Australia.
He revealed that the captain is progressing and felt positive about the likelihood of participating.
"We know that the clock is ticking and various factors at play, not just the back issue, but other factors as well," the selector added.
"The outlook is good. We firmly believe that he's going to play a significant role. Ideally from the opening match. If not, we'll reassess."
Injury History
He was sidelined the white-ball matches against India and New Zealand in the previous weeks after scans revealed a stress reaction in his back.
There is a track record of recurring issues, with flare-ups in several earlier campaigns causing him to miss multiple domestic campaigns in four years.
The bowler mentioned he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his rehabilitation process to make the squad for the Ashes.
Bailey noted that he did not know if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his rehabilitation but admitted it was "becoming urgent" for him to recover fully for the first Test.
Backup Options
Should Cummins not be fit, veteran batsman Smith will take over the captaincy.
The talented all-rounder was withdrawn recently from the ODI lineup for their one-day international series against India as a preventive step because of discomfort in his torso.
The selector characterized it as a "minor" injury and mentioned that he's scheduled to appear 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 take part for the first Test as an all-rounder," he elaborated.
"Originally, he'd only feature in the initial matches in any case. His aggressive style the willow in shorter formats, even if it just sets him back for 24 more hours, we opted to take a cautious route."
Fixture Details
The Ashes: Australia v England
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
