The Australian skipper has taken over 300 dismissals in 71 appearances with an average of 22.10.
The Australian selection chief Bailey has stated that skipper Cummins will be a central figure in the forthcoming England-Australia contest.
Speculation had been growing that the 32-year-old might sit out due to a persistent back stress problem that remained unresolved.
Previous updates from team management suggested no definitive call had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the extended contest set to start on November 21 in the WACA.
He revealed that Cummins is "building up" and was "optimistic" about the prospects of taking part.
"We know that the window is narrowing and various factors around that, not just the back issue, but additional elements," he commented.
"We're encouraged. We firmly believe that he will feature a key capacity. Hopefully starting in Perth. Otherwise, then we'll pick it up."
Past Concerns
The captain missed Australia's limited-overs series against New Zealand and India in the previous weeks after medical tests showed a lumbar bone stress.
He has a history of spinal problems, with setbacks in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 leading to absences from multiple domestic campaigns in four years.
He emphasized he would be bold in recovery efforts in his comeback strategy to ensure his availability for the Ashes.
Bailey noted that it was unclear if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his comeback but acknowledged it was "getting tight" for him to regain fitness for the first Test.
Alternative Arrangements
Should Cummins not be fit, former captain Steve Smith will assume leadership.
The talented all-rounder was withdrawn recently from the ODI lineup for their one-day international series against India as a safety move because of an abdominal issue.
He labeled it as a "small issue and confirmed that he'll feature in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "ideally positioned to resume bowling."
"We put so much time has gone into building out the plan for him to take part for the initial game as an dual-role player," he elaborated.
"He was only going to play the first two ODIs in any case. How he handles the bat in limited-overs, should it hinder progress for 24 more hours, we just made the decision to adopt a safer strategy."
Series Schedule
Australia vs England: The Ashes
From November 21, 2025 to January 7, 2026
