Pat Cummins has claimed 309 wickets in 71 appearances with an stellar bowling average.
Australia's selection chief George Bailey has declared that skipper Cummins will be a central figure in the forthcoming historic rivalry.
There were concerns that the veteran bowler might be unavailable due to a ongoing back issue that had not yet healed.
Previous updates from the squad suggested no official announcement had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the extended contest set to start on November 21 in the WACA.
The selector shared that the captain is progressing and was "optimistic" about the prospects of being involved.
"We're aware that the window is narrowing and there are permutations around that, not just the physical problem, but additional elements," Bailey remarked.
"We're encouraged. There's strong faith that he will feature a major part. Hopefully it's the first Test. Should that not happen, we'll reassess."
Injury History
Cummins was ruled out Australia's limited-overs series against both Asian and Trans-Tasman rivals in the previous weeks after medical tests showed a stress reaction in his back.
There is a track record of back injuries, with setbacks in multiple past seasons leading to absences from several home seasons in a limited period.
The bowler mentioned he would be bold in recovery efforts in his rehabilitation process to make the squad for the Ashes.
Bailey noted that it was unclear if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his comeback but acknowledged it was "getting tight" for him to recover fully for the opener.
Backup Options
If he's unavailable, former captain Steve Smith will take over the captaincy.
Versatile player Green was excluded lately from Australia's squad for their limited-overs matches against the Asian giants as a safety move because of discomfort in his torso.
He labeled it as a "minor" injury and mentioned that he's scheduled to appear in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "in a good place to be ready to bowl."
"We put so much time has gone into building out the plan for him to be available for the first Test as an all-rounder," he elaborated.
"He was only going to play the starting games anyway. His aggressive style the willow in shorter formats, if it causes any delay for 24 more hours, we opted to adopt a safer strategy."
Match Calendar
The Ashes: Australia v England
From November 21, 2025 to January 7, 2026
