The pace bowler has secured 309 wickets in 71 five-day games with an stellar bowling average.
Australia's chair of selectors the selector has confirmed that pace spearhead Cummins will be a central figure in the upcoming Ashes series.
Speculation had been growing that the 32-year-old might be unavailable due to a ongoing back issue that had not yet healed.
Initial reports from the squad suggested no official announcement had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the five-Test series set to start on 21 November in Western Australia.
Bailey expressed that the captain is progressing and was "optimistic" about his chances of taking part.
"It's clear that the clock is ticking and multiple considerations around that, not just the back issue, but further aspects," he commented.
"We're encouraged. We firmly believe that he'll participate in a major part. Hopefully it's the first Test. Should that not happen, we'll reassess."
Previous Setbacks
The captain missed Australia's limited-overs series against both Asian and Trans-Tasman rivals in the previous weeks after examinations confirmed a lumbar bone stress.
Previous incidents include of recurring issues, with flare-ups in multiple past seasons forcing him out of multiple domestic campaigns in four years.
The bowler mentioned he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his recovery plan to make the squad for the contest.
He mentioned that he did not know if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his recovery but conceded it was "becoming urgent" for him to be fit for the first Test.
Backup Options
If he's unavailable, former captain Steve Smith will take over the captaincy.
Versatile player Green was excluded lately from the ODI lineup for their one-day international series against India as a precautionary measure because of discomfort in his torso.
Bailey described it as a "slight concern and stated that Green will play in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "well-prepared to deliver overs."
"Considerable effort has gone into developing the strategy for him to be available for the first Test as an dual-role player," Bailey explained.
"His involvement was limited to the first two ODIs anyway. How he handles the bat in limited-overs, if it causes any delay for a short period, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively."
Match Calendar
The Historic Rivalry
21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026
