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The Australian chief selector George Bailey has stated that skipper Cummins will play a "major part" in the forthcoming historic rivalry.

Speculation had been growing that Cummins might miss the series due to a stress fracture in his back that remained unresolved.

Earlier indications from the Australian camp suggested no official announcement had been made regarding whether he would play, with the extended contest scheduled to begin on the 21st of November in Western Australia.

Bailey expressed that Cummins is "building up" and felt positive about the prospects of taking part.

"We know that time is getting short and multiple considerations around that, not only his injury, but further aspects," Bailey remarked.

"The outlook is good. There's strong faith that he's going to play a major part. Ideally from the opening match. Should that not happen, we'll adjust."

Previous Setbacks

He was sidelined Australia's limited-overs series against New Zealand and India recently after examinations confirmed a stress reaction in his back.

Previous incidents include of recurring issues, with recurrences in several earlier campaigns leading to absences from multiple domestic campaigns in a limited period.

He emphasized he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his recovery plan to make the squad for the series.

The selector indicated that there was no confirmation if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his recovery but conceded it was "getting tight" for him to recover fully for the opener.

Contingency Plans

Should Cummins not be fit, ex-skipper Smith will assume leadership.

Versatile player Green was withdrawn recently from the ODI lineup for their one-day international series against India as a precautionary measure because of an abdominal issue.

Bailey described it as a "minor" injury and confirmed that Green will play in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "ideally positioned to resume bowling."

"Extensive planning has gone into building out the plan for him to take part for the first Test as an all-rounder," Bailey explained.

"Originally, he'd only feature in the initial matches anyway. How he handles the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, should it hinder progress for 24 more hours, we opted to adopt a safer strategy."

Series Schedule

Australia vs England: The Ashes

Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026