🔗 Share this article

The Australian chair of selectors the selector has declared that skipper Cummins will play a "major part" in this winter's Ashes series.

Rumors had circulated that the 32-year-old might sit out due to a persistent back stress problem that was still troubling him.

Previous updates from the Australian camp suggested no definitive call had been made regarding whether he would play, with the five-Test series set to start on November 21 in Western Australia.

The selector shared that his recovery is on track and was "optimistic" about the likelihood of taking part.

"It's clear that the window is narrowing and various factors around that, aside from the physical problem, but other factors as well," Bailey remarked.

"We're encouraged. We firmly believe that he'll participate in a major part. With luck from the opening match. Otherwise, we'll adjust."

Injury History

Cummins was ruled out Australia's limited-overs series against New Zealand and India in the previous weeks after medical tests showed a lower back issue.

He has a history of recurring issues, with recurrences in multiple past seasons leading to absences from three Australian summers in a limited period.

The bowler mentioned he would be bold in recovery efforts in his recovery plan to make the squad for the Ashes.

Bailey noted that it was unclear if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his rehabilitation but admitted it was "getting tight" for him to recover fully for the initial match.

Contingency Plans

If he's unavailable, veteran batsman Smith will lead the side.

Versatile player Green was recently pulled out 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 "slight concern 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 creating the schedule for him to participate for the initial game as an batting and bowling option," Bailey explained.

"His involvement was limited to the initial matches anyway. His aggressive style the willow in shorter formats, if it causes any delay for a short period, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively."

Match Calendar

Australia vs England: The Ashes

Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026