Pat Cummins has claimed 309 wickets in 71 appearances with an impressive average.
Australia's chair of selectors the selector has stated that pace spearhead Cummins will play a "major part" in this winter's England-Australia contest.
Speculation had been growing that the 32-year-old might be unavailable due to a ongoing back issue that was still troubling him.
Initial reports from the Australian camp suggested no definitive call had been made regarding his involvement, with the five-Test series scheduled to begin on 21 November in Perth.
Bailey expressed that Cummins is "building up" and felt positive about the prospects of participating.
"We're aware that time is getting short and there are permutations at play, aside from the physical problem, but additional elements," Bailey remarked.
"The outlook is good. There's strong faith that he's going to play a major part. Ideally from the opening match. If not, we'll adjust."
Injury History
He was sidelined the white-ball matches against both Asian and Trans-Tasman rivals recently after examinations confirmed a lower back issue.
He has a history of spinal problems, with recurrences in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 forcing him out of several home seasons in four years.
Cummins stated he would be proactive in his approach in his rehabilitation process to secure his spot for the series.
Bailey noted that he did not know if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his rehabilitation but conceded it was "becoming urgent" for him to be fit for the first Test.
Backup Options
In case of absence, ex-skipper Smith will assume leadership.
Versatile player Green was recently pulled out from Australia's squad for their limited-overs matches against the subcontinent side as a preventive step because of soreness in his side.
The selector characterized it as a "minor" injury and mentioned that he's scheduled to appear in the state-level matches, so will be "well-prepared to resume bowling."
"We put so much time has gone into building out the plan for him to be available for the initial game as an all-rounder," he elaborated.
"His involvement was limited to the starting games in any case. His aggressive style the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, should it hinder progress for a short period, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively."
Fixture Details
The Historic Rivalry
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
