The pace bowler has claimed 309 wickets in 71 appearances with an impressive average.
The Australian selection chief Bailey has declared that captain Pat Cummins will be a central figure in the upcoming historic rivalry.
Rumors had circulated that the veteran bowler might be unavailable due to a stress fracture in his back that was still troubling him.
Previous updates from team management suggested no official announcement had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the extended contest scheduled to begin on the 21st of November in Perth.
The selector shared that the captain is progressing and felt positive about his chances of taking part.
"We know that time is getting short and various factors at play, not only his injury, but further aspects," he commented.
"It's positive. [We are] really confident that he's going to play a key capacity. With luck it's the first Test. Otherwise, we'll adjust."
Previous Setbacks
Cummins was ruled out Australia's limited-overs series against both Asian and Trans-Tasman rivals in the previous weeks after scans revealed a lumbar bone stress.
He has a history of spinal problems, with setbacks in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 causing him to miss several home seasons in a limited period.
He emphasized he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his recovery plan to secure his spot for the Ashes.
The selector indicated that he did not know if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his recovery but conceded it was "becoming urgent" for him to be fit for the opener.
Contingency Plans
If he's unavailable, former captain Steve Smith will assume leadership.
The talented all-rounder was excluded lately from the national team for their limited-overs matches against India as a precautionary measure because of soreness in his side.
Bailey described it as a "slight concern and mentioned that he'll feature in the state-level matches, so will be "in a good place to be ready to bowl."
"Extensive planning has gone into developing the strategy for him to take part for the first Test as an all-rounder," he elaborated.
"His involvement was limited to the initial matches in any case. His aggressive style the bat in limited-overs, even if it just sets him back for a short period, we opted to approach this more conservatively."
Fixture Details
The Historic Rivalry
21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026
