Pat Cummins has taken over 300 dismissals in 71 appearances with an average of 22.10.
Australia's chief selector Bailey has confirmed that pace spearhead Cummins will play a "major part" in this winter's Ashes series.
Rumors had circulated that the veteran bowler might miss the series due to a ongoing back issue that remained unresolved.
Initial reports from the Australian camp suggested no definitive call had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the Test matches kicking off on the 21st of November in the WACA.
Bailey expressed that his recovery is on track and remained hopeful about the prospects of being involved.
"We know that the clock is ticking and there are permutations around that, not just the back issue, but further aspects," Bailey remarked.
"The outlook is good. There's strong faith that he will feature a key capacity. With luck from the opening match. If not, we'll reassess."
Injury History
Cummins was ruled out Australia's limited-overs series against both Asian and Trans-Tasman rivals recently after examinations confirmed a lumbar bone stress.
He has a history of back injuries, with flare-ups in several earlier campaigns leading to absences from three Australian summers in a short span.
He emphasized he would be bold in recovery efforts in his rehabilitation process to ensure his availability for the series.
The selector indicated that he did not know if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his rehabilitation but conceded it was "getting tight" for him to be fit for the first Test.
Contingency Plans
If he's unavailable, veteran batsman Smith will take over the captaincy.
The talented all-rounder was recently pulled out from Australia's squad for their ODI contests against the Asian giants as a precautionary measure because of soreness in his side.
The selector characterized it as a "slight concern and mentioned that he'll feature in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "ideally positioned 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 dual-role player," the selector detailed.
"Originally, he'd only feature in the starting games anyway. How he handles the willow in shorter formats, should it hinder progress for a short period, the choice was made to take a cautious route."
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