🔗 Share this article

Australia's chief selector Bailey has stated that skipper Cummins will play a "major part" in the upcoming England-Australia contest.

Rumors had circulated that the 32-year-old might miss the series due to a stress fracture in his back that had not yet healed.

Initial reports from team management suggested no official announcement had been made regarding his involvement, with the five-Test series set to start on 21 November in Western Australia.

Bailey expressed that his recovery is on track and was "optimistic" about the likelihood of participating.

"It's clear that the clock is ticking 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 significant role. Hopefully from the opening match. If not, we'll adjust."

Previous Setbacks

He was sidelined the ODI and T20 games against New Zealand and India in the previous weeks after scans revealed a stress reaction in his back.

Previous incidents include of spinal problems, with setbacks in several earlier campaigns causing him to miss three Australian summers in four years.

The bowler mentioned he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his recovery plan to ensure his availability for the series.

Bailey noted that it was unclear if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his recovery but conceded it was "getting tight" for him to recover fully for the first Test.

Alternative Arrangements

If he's unavailable, ex-skipper Smith will take over the captaincy.

Versatile player Green was recently pulled out from the ODI lineup for their one-day international series against the subcontinent side as a safety move because of an abdominal issue.

The selector characterized it as a "small issue and mentioned that he'll feature in the state-level matches, so will be "ideally positioned to deliver overs."

"We put so much time has gone into building out the plan for him to be available for the first Test as an dual-role player," the selector detailed.

"He was only going to play the initial matches regardless. His aggressive style the willow in shorter formats, if it causes any delay for a short period, the choice was made to approach this more conservatively."

Series Schedule

The Ashes: Australia v England

21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026