Pat Cummins has secured over 300 dismissals in 71 appearances with an stellar bowling average.
The Australian chair of selectors Bailey has confirmed that captain Pat Cummins will be a central figure in the upcoming Ashes series.
Speculation had been growing that the 32-year-old might miss the series due to a ongoing back issue that had not yet healed.
Initial reports from the Australian camp suggested no final decision had been made regarding his involvement, with the Test matches set to start on the 21st of November in the WACA.
The selector shared that his recovery is on track and remained hopeful about the likelihood of participating.
"We're aware that the window is narrowing and there are permutations at play, aside from his injury, but further aspects," the selector added.
"We're encouraged. [We are] really confident that he will feature a major part. With luck from the opening match. Should that not happen, we'll reassess."
Past Concerns
He was sidelined the white-ball matches against India and New Zealand recently after scans revealed a lumbar bone stress.
There is a track record of back injuries, with recurrences in multiple past seasons leading to absences from multiple domestic campaigns in four years.
Cummins stated he would be proactive in his approach in his recovery plan to secure his spot for the contest.
Bailey noted that it was unclear if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his comeback but admitted it was "pressing" for him to be fit for the opener.
Alternative Arrangements
If he's unavailable, ex-skipper Smith will take over the captaincy.
Versatile player Green was recently pulled out from the national team for their one-day international series against the subcontinent side as a preventive step because of discomfort in his torso.
Bailey described it as a "slight concern and mentioned that he's scheduled to appear in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "in a good place to deliver overs."
"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," the selector detailed.
"Originally, he'd only feature in the initial matches in any case. His aggressive style the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, should it hinder progress for another day, we just made the decision to take a cautious route."
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