Australia's captain Poised for a Major Role in the Ashes
The Australian skipper has taken over 300 dismissals in 71 Test matches with an stellar bowling average.
Australia's chair of selectors George Bailey has declared that skipper Cummins will be a central figure in this winter's historic rivalry.
Speculation had been growing that Cummins might sit out due to a persistent back stress problem that had not yet healed.
Initial reports from the squad suggested no final decision had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the five-Test series kicking off on 21 November in the WACA.
The selector shared that the captain is progressing and remained hopeful about his chances of being involved.
"We know that the window is narrowing and multiple considerations around that, not only the back issue, but further aspects," he commented.
"The outlook is good. We firmly believe that he's going to play a significant role. Hopefully starting in Perth. Otherwise, we'll adjust."
Injury History
Cummins was ruled out the ODI and T20 games against India and New Zealand recently after medical tests showed a lower back issue.
Previous incidents include of spinal problems, with flare-ups in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 forcing him out of three Australian summers in a short span.
He emphasized he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his rehabilitation process to make the squad for the Ashes.
The selector indicated that he did not know if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his comeback but acknowledged it was "getting tight" for him to recover fully for the initial match.
Backup Options
If he's unavailable, ex-skipper Smith will lead the side.
All-rounder Cameron Green was excluded lately from the ODI lineup for their limited-overs matches against the Asian giants as a safety move because of soreness in his side.
He labeled it as a "small issue and mentioned that Green will play in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "ideally positioned to be ready to bowl."
"We put so much time has gone into developing the strategy for him to participate for the initial game as an all-rounder," he elaborated.
"He was only going to play the first two ODIs anyway. How he handles the bat in limited-overs, if it causes any delay for 24 more hours, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively."
Match Calendar
The Ashes: Australia v England
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
