The pace bowler has taken over 300 dismissals in 71 appearances with an stellar bowling average.
The Australian chief selector George Bailey has stated that pace spearhead Cummins will have a crucial role in the upcoming historic rivalry.
Speculation had been growing that the 32-year-old might be unavailable due to a stress fracture in his back that was still troubling him.
Previous updates from team management suggested no official announcement had been made regarding whether he would play, with the five-Test series set to start on November 21 in Perth.
The selector shared that his recovery is on track and felt positive about his chances of taking part.
"It's clear that time is getting short and there are permutations at play, not only the back issue, but additional elements," Bailey remarked.
"It's positive. We firmly believe that he will feature a major part. Hopefully it's the first Test. If not, we'll reassess."
Past Concerns
The captain missed the white-ball matches against India and New Zealand recently after examinations confirmed a stress reaction in his back.
He has a history of spinal problems, with recurrences in several earlier campaigns forcing him out of multiple domestic campaigns in a limited period.
Cummins stated he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his rehabilitation process to ensure his availability for the contest.
The selector indicated that it was unclear if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his recovery but conceded it was "becoming urgent" for him to regain fitness for the initial match.
Alternative Arrangements
If he's unavailable, veteran batsman Smith will take over the captaincy.
The talented all-rounder was recently pulled out from the ODI lineup for their limited-overs matches against the Asian giants as a precautionary measure because of soreness in his side.
He labeled it as a "small issue and confirmed that Green will play in the state-level matches, so will be "ideally positioned to be ready to bowl."
"We put so much time has gone into building out the plan for him to be available for the initial game as an batting and bowling option," Bailey explained.
"His involvement was limited to the starting games regardless. The way he swings the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, if it causes any delay for a short period, we just made the decision to adopt a safer strategy."
Fixture Details
Australia vs England: The Ashes
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
