The Australian skipper has taken over 300 dismissals in 71 five-day games with an impressive average.
Australia's chief selector George Bailey has stated that pace spearhead Cummins will play a "major part" in the upcoming Ashes series.
Speculation had been growing that Cummins might miss the series due to a stress fracture in his back that remained unresolved.
Previous updates from the Australian camp suggested no definitive call had been made regarding his involvement, with the extended contest scheduled to begin on 21 November in the WACA.
The selector shared that his recovery is on track and remained hopeful about his chances of participating.
"We're aware that time is getting short and multiple considerations around that, not only his injury, but further aspects," the selector added.
"The outlook is good. [We are] really confident that he will feature a key capacity. With luck from the opening match. Otherwise, then we'll pick it up."
Previous Setbacks
The captain missed the ODI and T20 games against New Zealand and India last month after scans revealed a lumbar bone stress.
He has a history of spinal problems, with setbacks in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 forcing him out of three Australian summers in a limited period.
He emphasized he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his comeback strategy to secure his spot for the contest.
The selector indicated that it was unclear if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his recovery but acknowledged it was "becoming urgent" for him to regain fitness for the first Test.
Contingency Plans
If he's unavailable, veteran batsman Smith will assume leadership.
Versatile player Green was excluded lately from Australia's squad for their ODI contests against the subcontinent side as a precautionary measure because of soreness in his side.
He labeled it as a "minor" injury and mentioned that he's scheduled to appear in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "ideally positioned to deliver overs."
"Extensive planning has gone into building out the plan for him to participate for the opening match as an dual-role player," Bailey explained.
"His involvement was limited to the initial matches regardless. How he handles the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, even if it just sets him back for 24 more hours, we just made the decision to take a cautious route."
Match Calendar
The Historic Rivalry
From November 21, 2025 to January 7, 2026
