🔗 Share this article

Australia's selection chief the selector has confirmed that captain Pat Cummins will be a central figure in this winter's England-Australia contest.

There were concerns that Cummins might be unavailable due to a persistent back stress problem that remained unresolved.

Earlier indications from the squad suggested no definitive call had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the extended contest scheduled to begin on November 21 in the WACA.

The selector shared that the captain is progressing and remained hopeful about his chances of participating.

"We're aware that the window is narrowing and various factors involved, aside from the back issue, but other factors as well," Bailey remarked.

"We're encouraged. [We are] really confident that he'll participate in a major part. Ideally it's the first Test. If not, we'll adjust."

Injury History

Cummins was ruled out the white-ball matches against India and New Zealand last month after examinations confirmed a stress reaction in his back.

He has a history of recurring issues, with setbacks in multiple past seasons causing him to miss several home seasons in a short span.

The bowler mentioned he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" 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 comeback but conceded it was "becoming urgent" for him to regain fitness for the initial match.

Alternative Arrangements

If he's unavailable, ex-skipper Smith will take over the captaincy.

Versatile player Green was withdrawn recently from the ODI lineup for their limited-overs matches against the Asian giants as a safety move because of discomfort in his torso.

The selector characterized it as a "minor" injury and stated 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 developing the strategy for him to be available for the first Test as an all-rounder," he elaborated.

"Originally, he'd only feature in the initial matches regardless. His aggressive style the willow in shorter formats, 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