The Australian skipper has claimed over 300 dismissals in 71 appearances with an stellar bowling average.
Australia's chair of selectors George Bailey has declared that pace spearhead Cummins will play a "major part" in the forthcoming historic rivalry.
Speculation had been growing that Cummins might be unavailable due to a stress fracture in his back that remained unresolved.
Earlier indications from the squad suggested no definitive call had been made regarding his involvement, with the Test matches kicking off on the 21st of November in Western Australia.
Bailey expressed that the captain is progressing and felt positive about the likelihood of taking part.
"We know that the clock is ticking and multiple considerations at play, not only his injury, but other factors as well," Bailey remarked.
"We're encouraged. We firmly believe that he will feature a major part. Ideally starting in Perth. If not, we'll adjust."
Previous Setbacks
The captain missed the white-ball matches against New Zealand and India in the previous weeks after scans revealed a lumbar bone stress.
He has a history of spinal problems, with flare-ups in multiple past seasons forcing him out of several home seasons in four years.
He emphasized he would be bold in recovery efforts in his recovery plan to ensure his availability for the contest.
He mentioned that he did not know if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his recovery but admitted it was "becoming urgent" for him to recover fully for the opener.
Backup Options
If he's unavailable, ex-skipper Smith will take over the captaincy.
All-rounder Cameron Green was excluded lately from Australia's squad for their ODI contests against India as a precautionary measure because of discomfort in his torso.
Bailey described it as a "small issue and mentioned that he'll feature in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "ideally positioned to resume bowling."
"Considerable effort has gone into building out the plan for him to be available for the initial game as an all-rounder," the selector detailed.
"He was only going to play the first two ODIs regardless. The way he swings the bat in limited-overs, should it hinder progress for another day, we opted to take a cautious route."
Series Schedule
The Ashes: Australia v England
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
