Pat Cummins has taken over 300 dismissals in 71 appearances with an average of 22.10.
Australia's selection chief George Bailey has confirmed that pace spearhead Cummins will play a "major part" in this winter's England-Australia contest.
Rumors had circulated that the veteran bowler might be unavailable due to a stress fracture in his back that had not yet healed.
Initial reports from the squad suggested no official announcement had been made regarding whether he would play, with the Test matches scheduled to begin on November 21 in the WACA.
The selector shared that Cummins is "building up" and felt positive about the prospects of taking part.
"We're aware that time is getting short and there are permutations around that, not just the back issue, but further aspects," the selector added.
"It's positive. We firmly believe that he will feature a key capacity. Ideally from the opening match. If not, then we'll pick it up."
Injury History
He was sidelined the white-ball matches against New Zealand and India recently after medical tests showed a lumbar bone stress.
There is a track record of back injuries, with setbacks in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 causing him to miss several home seasons in a short span.
He emphasized he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his recovery plan to ensure his availability for the contest.
He mentioned that it was unclear if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his comeback but acknowledged it was "pressing" for him to recover fully for the opener.
Alternative Arrangements
If he's unavailable, veteran batsman Smith will take over the captaincy.
Versatile player Green was recently pulled out from the national team for their limited-overs matches against the subcontinent side as a preventive step because of soreness in his side.
He labeled it as a "minor" injury and confirmed that he's scheduled to appear in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "well-prepared to resume bowling."
"Extensive planning has gone into developing the strategy for him to take part for the opening match as an all-rounder," he elaborated.
"His involvement was limited to the initial matches regardless. The way he swings the willow in shorter formats, if it causes any delay for a short period, we opted to approach this more conservatively."
Fixture Details
The Historic Rivalry
From November 21, 2025 to January 7, 2026
