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Australia's chair of selectors the selector has declared that captain Pat Cummins will be a central figure in this winter's Ashes series.

There were concerns that the veteran bowler might be unavailable due to a stress fracture in his back that remained unresolved.

Initial reports from the squad suggested no official announcement had been made regarding whether he would play, with the extended contest scheduled to begin on November 21 in the WACA.

Bailey expressed that the captain is progressing and was "optimistic" about the prospects of taking part.

"We're aware that time is getting short and there are permutations involved, not only his injury, but additional elements," Bailey remarked.

"The outlook is good. We firmly believe that he will feature a key capacity. Ideally from the opening match. Should that not happen, we'll reassess."

Injury History

The captain missed Australia's limited-overs series against New Zealand and India in the previous weeks after medical tests showed a lower back issue.

Previous incidents include of back injuries, with setbacks in several earlier campaigns forcing him out of several home seasons in a limited period.

Cummins stated he would be bold in recovery efforts in his comeback strategy to make the squad for the contest.

Bailey noted that it was unclear if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his rehabilitation but conceded it was "getting tight" for him to regain fitness for the first Test.

Backup Options

In case of absence, veteran batsman Smith will take over the captaincy.

Versatile player Green was withdrawn recently from Australia's squad for their one-day international series against the subcontinent side as a safety move because of discomfort in his torso.

Bailey described it as a "minor" injury and mentioned that he's scheduled to appear in the state-level matches, so will be "well-prepared to resume bowling."

"Considerable effort has gone into developing the strategy for him to participate for the opening match as an all-rounder," the selector detailed.

"He was only going to play the starting games regardless. His aggressive style the willow in shorter formats, if it causes any delay for another day, we opted to approach this more conservatively."

Match Calendar

The Historic Rivalry

21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026