Pat Cummins has secured 309 wickets in 71 appearances with an impressive average.
Australia's chief selector George Bailey has confirmed that skipper Cummins will play a "major part" in the forthcoming historic rivalry.
There were concerns that the 32-year-old might be unavailable due to a stress fracture in his back that remained unresolved.
Initial reports from team management suggested no definitive call had been made regarding his involvement, with the five-Test series scheduled to begin on the 21st of November in Western Australia.
Bailey expressed that Cummins is "building up" and remained hopeful about the prospects of participating.
"We're aware that the window is narrowing and there are permutations involved, not only his injury, but additional elements," the selector added.
"The outlook is good. We firmly believe that he's going to play a major part. Ideally starting in Perth. Otherwise, we'll adjust."
Previous Setbacks
He was sidelined the ODI and T20 games against India and New Zealand in the previous weeks after medical tests showed a lumbar bone stress.
He has a history of back injuries, with setbacks in several earlier campaigns leading to absences from multiple domestic campaigns in a limited period.
He emphasized he would be bold in recovery efforts in his recovery plan to ensure his availability for the series.
Bailey noted that he did not know 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.
Alternative Arrangements
In case of absence, former captain Steve Smith will take over the captaincy.
All-rounder Cameron Green was withdrawn recently from the national team for their one-day international series against the Asian giants as a precautionary measure because of an abdominal issue.
The selector characterized it as a "minor" injury and stated that he's scheduled to appear in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "in a good place to deliver overs."
"Extensive planning has gone into developing the strategy for him to be available for the opening match as an dual-role player," Bailey explained.
"His involvement was limited to the initial matches anyway. His aggressive style the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, if it causes any delay for a short period, we opted to adopt a safer strategy."
Series Schedule
The Ashes: Australia v England
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
