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The Australian selection chief George Bailey has declared that captain Pat Cummins will have a crucial role in the forthcoming historic rivalry.

Speculation had been growing that Cummins might be unavailable due to a stress fracture in his back that had not yet healed.

Earlier indications from the Australian camp suggested no final decision had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the extended contest set to start on the 21st of November in Western Australia.

The selector shared that his recovery is on track and remained hopeful about his chances of participating.

"It's clear that time is getting short and various factors around that, not only the back issue, but further aspects," Bailey remarked.

"We're encouraged. There's strong faith that he will feature a key capacity. With luck from the opening match. If not, we'll reassess."

Past Concerns

The captain missed the white-ball matches against India and New Zealand in the previous weeks after medical tests showed a stress reaction in his back.

He has a history of spinal problems, with recurrences in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 forcing him out of three Australian summers in a limited period.

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

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

Contingency Plans

If he's unavailable, ex-skipper Smith will lead the side.

Versatile player Green was recently pulled out from the ODI lineup for their one-day international series against the Asian giants as a preventive step because of soreness in his side.

The selector characterized it as a "slight concern and stated that Green will play in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "in a good place to be ready to bowl."

"Extensive planning has gone into building out the plan for him to take part for the opening match as an all-rounder," the selector detailed.

"His involvement was limited to the first two ODIs anyway. His aggressive style the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, even if it just sets him back for another day, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively."

Match Calendar

Australia vs England: The Ashes

Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026