The pace bowler has taken over 300 dismissals in 71 appearances with an stellar bowling average.
The Australian chief selector George Bailey has declared that captain Pat Cummins will be a central figure in the upcoming England-Australia contest.
There were concerns that Cummins might be unavailable due to a stress fracture in his back that was still troubling him.
Previous updates from the Australian camp suggested no definitive call had been made regarding his involvement, with the five-Test series kicking off on 21 November in the WACA.
Bailey expressed that the captain is progressing and felt positive about his chances of participating.
"It's clear that time is getting short and various factors around that, aside from the back issue, but other factors as well," he commented.
"We're encouraged. [We are] really confident that he will feature a major part. Hopefully starting in Perth. If not, we'll reassess."
Past Concerns
Cummins was ruled out Australia's limited-overs series against India and New Zealand in the previous weeks after medical tests showed a lower back issue.
He has a history of back injuries, with setbacks in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 forcing him out of multiple domestic campaigns in a limited period.
Cummins stated he would be proactive in his approach in his comeback strategy to make the squad for the contest.
The selector indicated that there was no confirmation if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his recovery but admitted it was "pressing" for him to be fit for the first Test.
Backup Options
Should Cummins not be fit, ex-skipper Smith will take over the captaincy.
The talented all-rounder was withdrawn recently from Australia's squad for their ODI contests against India as a preventive step because of soreness in his side.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 "ideally positioned to be ready to bowl."
"Extensive planning has gone into creating the schedule for him to be available for the first Test as an all-rounder," the selector detailed.
"Originally, he'd only feature in the first two ODIs in any case. How he handles the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, if it causes any delay for another day, we opted to approach this more conservatively."
Series Schedule
Australia vs England: The Ashes
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
