Australia's captain Set to Play a Key Part in Ashes Series
The Australian skipper has taken over 300 dismissals in 71 five-day games with an average of 22.10.
The Australian selection chief the selector has declared that skipper Cummins will play a "major part" in the upcoming England-Australia contest.
Rumors had circulated that the veteran bowler might miss the series due to a stress fracture in his back that had not yet healed.
Earlier indications from the Australian camp suggested no final decision had been made regarding whether he would play, with the Test matches set to start on November 21 in Perth.
The selector shared that the captain is progressing and was "optimistic" about the likelihood of being involved.
"It's clear that the clock is ticking and various factors at play, not just his injury, but additional elements," Bailey remarked.
"The outlook is good. [We are] really confident that he will feature a major part. Ideally from the opening match. If not, we'll reassess."
Previous Setbacks
Cummins was ruled out Australia's limited-overs series against New Zealand and India recently after scans revealed a lumbar bone stress.
Previous incidents include of recurring issues, with setbacks in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 causing him to miss multiple domestic campaigns in a limited period.
The bowler mentioned he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his comeback strategy to ensure his availability for the contest.
He mentioned that it was unclear if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his comeback but acknowledged it was "pressing" for him to regain fitness for the first Test.
Backup Options
In case of absence, veteran batsman Smith will take over the captaincy.
The talented all-rounder was withdrawn recently from the national team for their limited-overs matches against the Asian giants as a safety move because of an abdominal issue.
He labeled 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 developing the strategy for him to take part for the initial game as an batting and bowling option," Bailey explained.
"He was only going to play the starting games regardless. The way he swings the willow in shorter formats, should it hinder progress for a short period, we opted to adopt a safer strategy."
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