The pace bowler has taken over 300 dismissals in 71 five-day games with an impressive average.
The Australian selection chief Bailey has declared that pace spearhead Cummins will play a "major part" in this winter's Ashes series.
Rumors had circulated that the veteran bowler might be unavailable due to a persistent back stress problem that was still troubling him.
Previous updates from the Australian camp suggested no official announcement had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the Test matches kicking off on November 21 in Western Australia.
Bailey expressed that the captain is progressing and felt positive about his chances of taking part.
"It's clear that the window is narrowing and multiple considerations around that, not only the physical problem, but other factors as well," he commented.
"It's positive. [We are] really confident that he will feature a major part. Ideally starting in Perth. Otherwise, we'll adjust."
Previous Setbacks
The captain missed Australia's limited-overs series against India and New Zealand in the previous weeks after scans revealed a lumbar bone stress.
There is a track record of recurring issues, with flare-ups in several earlier campaigns leading to absences from multiple domestic campaigns in a short span.
The bowler mentioned he would be proactive in his approach in his recovery plan to make the squad for the series.
He mentioned that he did not know if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his recovery but acknowledged it was "becoming urgent" for him to regain fitness for the first Test.
Alternative Arrangements
If he's unavailable, ex-skipper Smith will assume leadership.
The talented all-rounder was withdrawn recently from the national team for their limited-overs matches against the subcontinent side as a preventive step because of an abdominal issue.
Bailey described it as a "minor" injury and stated that he's scheduled to appear in the state-level matches, so will be "in a good place to be ready to bowl."
"Considerable effort has gone into creating the schedule for him to be available for the opening match as an all-rounder," the selector detailed.
"His involvement was limited to the first two ODIs in any case. The way he swings the willow in shorter formats, should it hinder progress for another day, we opted to approach this more conservatively."
Series Schedule
The Ashes: Australia v England
21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026
