The pace bowler has secured 309 wickets in 71 five-day games with an stellar bowling average.
The Australian chair of selectors Bailey has declared that pace spearhead Cummins will be a central figure in the upcoming England-Australia contest.
There were concerns that the 32-year-old might sit out due to a ongoing back issue that remained unresolved.
Initial reports from the Australian camp suggested no definitive call had been made regarding whether he would play, with the Test matches set to start on 21 November in Western Australia.
The selector shared that his recovery is on track and felt positive about the prospects of being involved.
"We're aware that the clock is ticking and various factors involved, not only his injury, but additional elements," the selector added.
"We're encouraged. There's strong faith that he's going to play a significant role. Ideally it's the first Test. Otherwise, then we'll pick it up."
Past Concerns
He was sidelined the white-ball matches against New Zealand and India in the previous weeks after examinations confirmed a lumbar bone stress.
Previous incidents include of back injuries, with flare-ups in multiple past seasons leading to absences from three Australian summers in four years.
Cummins stated he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his recovery plan to make the squad for the series.
Bailey noted that he did not know if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his comeback but acknowledged it was "pressing" for him to recover fully for the first Test.
Backup Options
If he's unavailable, veteran batsman Smith will take over the captaincy.
All-rounder Cameron Green was recently pulled out from the national team for their limited-overs matches against India as a preventive step because of an abdominal issue.
Bailey described it as a "slight concern and stated that he'll feature in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "well-prepared to be ready to bowl."
"We put so much time has gone into building out the plan for him to participate for the opening match as an batting and bowling option," he elaborated.
"Originally, he'd only feature in the first two ODIs in any case. His aggressive style the willow in shorter formats, even if it just sets him back for 24 more hours, the choice was made to take a cautious route."
Series Schedule
Australia vs England: The Ashes
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
