The Australian skipper has taken 309 Test scalps in 71 five-day games with an stellar bowling average.
Australia's chair of selectors Bailey has declared that skipper Cummins will play a "major part" in the upcoming Ashes series.
Speculation had been growing that the veteran bowler might be unavailable due to a stress fracture in his back that was still troubling him.
Earlier indications from team management suggested no official announcement had been made regarding whether he would play, with the Test matches kicking off on the 21st of November in Perth.
Bailey expressed that his recovery is on track and remained hopeful about his chances of taking part.
"We know that time is getting short and there are permutations at play, aside from the back issue, but further aspects," he commented.
"The outlook is good. We firmly believe that he will feature a key capacity. Ideally from the opening match. Should that not happen, then we'll pick it up."
Previous Setbacks
The captain missed Australia's limited-overs series against both Asian and Trans-Tasman rivals in the previous weeks after examinations confirmed a stress reaction in his back.
He has a history of back injuries, with flare-ups in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 causing him to miss three Australian summers in a short span.
He emphasized he would be proactive in his approach in his comeback strategy to make the squad for the series.
Bailey noted that he did not know if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his rehabilitation but acknowledged it was "pressing" for him to be fit for the initial match.
Alternative Arrangements
Should Cummins not be fit, ex-skipper Smith will take over the captaincy.
Versatile player Green was recently pulled out from the ODI lineup for their one-day international series against the subcontinent side as a safety move because of an abdominal issue.
The selector characterized it as a "small issue and confirmed that he'll feature in the state-level matches, so will be "ideally positioned to be ready to bowl."
"Extensive planning has gone into building out the plan for him to be available for the first Test as an dual-role player," Bailey explained.
"He was only going to play the first two ODIs anyway. His aggressive style the willow in shorter formats, if it causes any delay for a short period, the choice was made to approach this more conservatively."
Fixture Details
The Historic Rivalry
21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026