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The Australian chief selector the selector has declared that skipper Cummins will be a central figure in the upcoming Ashes series.

Rumors had circulated that Cummins might miss the series due to a ongoing back issue that had not yet healed.

Initial reports from the squad suggested no official announcement had been made regarding his involvement, with the extended contest scheduled to begin on the 21st of November in the WACA.

He revealed that his recovery is on track and was "optimistic" about the likelihood of being involved.

"It's clear that the clock is ticking and various factors at play, aside from the physical problem, but other factors as well," Bailey remarked.

"The outlook is good. We firmly believe that he will feature a key capacity. With luck starting in Perth. Should that not happen, we'll reassess."

Injury History

Cummins was ruled out the ODI and T20 games against both Asian and Trans-Tasman rivals in the previous weeks after scans revealed a lower back issue.

There is a track record of recurring issues, 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 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 recover fully for the opener.

Contingency Plans

If he's unavailable, ex-skipper Smith will take over the captaincy.

Versatile player Green was withdrawn recently from Australia's squad for their ODI contests against the subcontinent side as a precautionary measure because of soreness in his side.

Bailey described it as a "small issue and confirmed that he's scheduled to appear in the domestic first-class competition, 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 opening match as an all-rounder," Bailey explained.

"His involvement was limited to the initial matches anyway. His aggressive style the bat in limited-overs, should it hinder progress for a short period, the choice was made to approach this more conservatively."

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