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The Australian chief selector George Bailey has declared that captain Pat Cummins will play a "major part" in this winter's historic rivalry.

Speculation had been growing that the veteran bowler 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 Cummins' participation, with the Test matches set to start on the 21st of November in Western Australia.

Bailey expressed that Cummins is "building up" and remained hopeful about his chances of taking part.

"We know that the window is narrowing and there are permutations around that, not just his injury, but other factors as well," Bailey remarked.

"We're encouraged. We firmly believe that he will feature a major part. With luck it's the first Test. If not, we'll reassess."

Past Concerns

He was sidelined Australia's limited-overs series against both Asian and Trans-Tasman rivals in the previous weeks after scans revealed a stress reaction in his back.

Previous incidents include of recurring issues, with setbacks in several earlier campaigns leading to absences from multiple domestic campaigns in four years.

Cummins stated he would be bold in recovery efforts in his recovery plan to secure his spot for the Ashes.

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

Contingency Plans

If he's unavailable, former captain Steve Smith will lead the side.

All-rounder Cameron Green was withdrawn recently from Australia's squad for their limited-overs matches against the subcontinent side as a preventive step because of discomfort in his torso.

The selector characterized it as a "minor" injury and mentioned that he'll feature in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "well-prepared to be ready to bowl."

"Extensive planning has gone into developing the strategy for him to take part for the first Test as an all-rounder," the selector detailed.

"His involvement was limited to the starting games in any case. The way he swings the bat in limited-overs, should it hinder progress for a short period, the choice was made to adopt a safer strategy."

Match Calendar

The Historic Rivalry

Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026