Pat Cummins has claimed 309 wickets in 71 appearances with an stellar bowling average.
Australia's chair of selectors Bailey has confirmed that skipper Cummins will be a central figure in this winter's historic rivalry.
Speculation had been growing that the veteran bowler might miss the series due to a ongoing back issue that remained unresolved.
Previous updates from the squad suggested no definitive call had been made regarding his involvement, with the five-Test series kicking off on November 21 in the WACA.
He revealed that the captain is progressing and felt positive about his chances of participating.
"We're aware that time is getting short and various factors around that, aside from his injury, but other factors as well," Bailey remarked.
"We're encouraged. We firmly believe that he'll participate in a major part. Ideally starting in Perth. Should that not happen, we'll reassess."
Previous Setbacks
He was sidelined the white-ball matches against both Asian and Trans-Tasman rivals in the previous weeks after medical tests showed a lumbar bone stress.
There is a track record of spinal problems, with flare-ups in multiple past seasons causing him to miss three Australian summers in four years.
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 Cummins had begun bowling as part of his recovery but admitted it was "becoming urgent" for him to regain fitness for the first Test.
Alternative Arrangements
Should Cummins not be fit, former captain Steve Smith will lead the side.
All-rounder Cameron Green was excluded lately from the ODI lineup for their ODI contests against India as a safety move because of discomfort in his torso.
He labeled it as a "minor" injury and mentioned that Green will play in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "ideally positioned to resume bowling."
"Extensive planning has gone into developing the strategy for him to participate for the initial game as an batting and bowling option," the selector detailed.
"He was only going to play the initial matches anyway. His aggressive style the willow in shorter formats, if it causes any delay for 24 more hours, we opted to adopt a safer strategy."
Series Schedule
The Ashes: Australia v England
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
