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The Australian selection chief George Bailey has stated that captain Pat Cummins will be a central figure in the upcoming Ashes series.

Speculation had been growing that the veteran bowler might be unavailable due to a stress fracture in his back that had not yet healed.

Earlier indications from the Australian camp suggested no official announcement had been made regarding whether he would play, with the five-Test series kicking off on the 21st of November in Western Australia.

Bailey expressed that his recovery is on track and was "optimistic" about the likelihood of taking part.

"We're aware that the window is narrowing and various factors around that, not only his injury, but further aspects," the selector added.

"It's positive. There's strong faith that he'll participate in a key capacity. With luck from the opening match. Otherwise, we'll adjust."

Past Concerns

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

There is a track record of spinal problems, with setbacks in several earlier campaigns causing him to miss multiple domestic campaigns in four years.

He emphasized he would be proactive in his approach in his comeback strategy to secure his spot for the series.

The selector indicated that he did not know if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his rehabilitation but conceded it was "getting tight" for him to regain fitness for the first Test.

Contingency Plans

If he's unavailable, veteran batsman Smith will take over the captaincy.

All-rounder Cameron Green was withdrawn recently from the ODI lineup for their one-day international series against India as a preventive step because of an abdominal issue.

Bailey described it as a "slight concern and confirmed that Green will play in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "well-prepared to be ready to bowl."

"We put so much time has gone into creating the schedule for him to participate for the opening match as an dual-role player," the selector detailed.

"Originally, he'd only feature in the first two ODIs in any case. The way he swings the bat in limited-overs, even if it just sets him back for another day, we just made the decision to adopt a safer strategy."

Fixture Details

The Ashes: Australia v England

Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026