The Australian skipper has claimed 309 wickets in 71 appearances with an average of 22.10.
The Australian chair of selectors Bailey has confirmed that captain Pat Cummins will have a crucial role in this winter's historic rivalry.
Speculation had been growing that Cummins might sit out due to a stress fracture in his back that had not yet healed.
Initial reports from team management suggested no official announcement had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the five-Test series scheduled to begin on November 21 in Western Australia.
The selector shared that his recovery is on track and was "optimistic" about his chances of participating.
"We know that the clock is ticking and multiple considerations involved, not only his injury, but further aspects," Bailey remarked.
"It's positive. [We are] really confident that he's going to play a key capacity. Ideally starting in Perth. Otherwise, we'll adjust."
Past Concerns
The captain missed Australia's limited-overs series against New Zealand and India in the previous weeks after scans revealed a lumbar bone stress.
He has a history of back injuries, with recurrences in multiple past seasons causing him to miss multiple domestic campaigns in a limited period.
Cummins stated he would be proactive in his approach in his recovery plan to make the squad for the Ashes.
He mentioned that he did not know if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his rehabilitation but acknowledged it was "getting tight" for him to regain fitness for the initial match.
Contingency Plans
If he's unavailable, former captain Steve Smith will take over the captaincy.
The talented all-rounder was recently pulled out from the national team for their one-day international series against the Asian giants as a safety move because of an abdominal issue.
Bailey described it as a "slight concern and mentioned that he'll feature in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "ideally positioned to deliver overs."
"We put so much time has gone into building out the plan for him to take part for the opening match as an batting and bowling option," he elaborated.
"He was only going to play the first two ODIs in any case. His aggressive style the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, should it hinder progress for 24 more hours, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively."
Match Calendar
The Historic Rivalry
From November 21, 2025 to January 7, 2026
