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Australia's chair of selectors George Bailey has declared that captain Pat Cummins will play a "major part" in the upcoming England-Australia contest.

Rumors had circulated that the veteran bowler might miss the series due to a stress fracture in his back that had not yet healed.

Initial reports from team management suggested no definitive call had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the Test matches set to start on the 21st of November in Western Australia.

Bailey expressed that the captain is progressing and was "optimistic" about the prospects of taking part.

"We know that the window is narrowing and multiple considerations involved, not only the back issue, but further aspects," he commented.

"The outlook is good. There's strong faith that he's going to play a major part. With luck starting in Perth. Otherwise, we'll adjust."

Previous Setbacks

The captain missed the ODI and T20 games against India and New Zealand in the previous weeks after scans revealed a lower back issue.

There is a track record of recurring issues, with setbacks in several earlier campaigns leading to absences from several home seasons in a limited period.

The bowler mentioned he would be bold in recovery efforts in his comeback strategy to secure his spot for the Ashes.

Bailey noted that there was no confirmation if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his comeback but conceded it was "becoming urgent" for him to be fit for the initial match.

Alternative Arrangements

If he's unavailable, former captain Steve Smith will assume leadership.

Versatile player Green was excluded lately from the national team for their limited-overs matches against the Asian giants as a precautionary measure because of an abdominal issue.

Bailey described it as a "minor" injury and mentioned that Green will play in the state-level matches, so will be "in a good place to be ready to bowl."

"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," he elaborated.

"Originally, he'd only feature in the first two ODIs anyway. The way he swings the willow in shorter formats, should it hinder progress for a short period, the choice was made to adopt a safer strategy."

Match Calendar

The Ashes: Australia v England

Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026