Pat Cummins has taken over 300 dismissals in 71 appearances with an average of 22.10.
Australia's selection chief George Bailey has stated that pace spearhead Cummins will play a "major part" in this winter's England-Australia contest.
There were concerns that the veteran bowler might miss the series due to a stress fracture in his back that had not yet healed.
Previous updates from team management suggested no final decision had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the five-Test series set to start on the 21st of November in Western Australia.
The selector shared that his recovery is on track and remained hopeful about the prospects of being involved.
"We know that the clock is ticking and there are permutations around that, not just the back issue, but further aspects," the selector added.
"The outlook is good. We firmly believe that he's going to play a significant role. Ideally starting in Perth. Otherwise, then we'll pick it up."
Previous Setbacks
Cummins was ruled out the ODI and T20 games against India and New Zealand recently after examinations confirmed a stress reaction in his back.
There is a track record of recurring issues, with setbacks in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 leading to absences from multiple domestic campaigns in a short span.
He emphasized he would be bold in recovery efforts in his recovery plan to make the squad for the series.
He mentioned that there was no confirmation if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his rehabilitation but admitted it was "getting tight" for him to recover fully for the first Test.
Backup Options
If he's unavailable, ex-skipper Smith will take over the captaincy.
The talented all-rounder was withdrawn recently from the ODI lineup for their ODI contests against the Asian giants as a preventive step because of an abdominal issue.
Bailey described it as a "slight concern and stated that he's scheduled to appear in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "in a good place to deliver overs."
"We put so much time has gone into building out the plan for him to be available for the initial game as an all-rounder," the selector detailed.
"His involvement was limited to the initial matches regardless. The way he swings the willow in shorter formats, if it causes any delay for another day, we opted to approach this more conservatively."
Match Calendar
The Historic Rivalry
From November 21, 2025 to January 7, 2026
