The Australian skipper has taken over 300 dismissals in 71 appearances with an average of 22.10.
Australia's chief selector Bailey has declared that skipper Cummins will play a "major part" in the forthcoming England-Australia contest.
There were concerns that Cummins might miss the series due to a persistent back stress problem that was still troubling him.
Previous updates from team management suggested no final decision had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the extended contest kicking off on November 21 in Perth.
The selector shared that his recovery is on track and felt positive about the prospects of taking part.
"We know that the window is narrowing and multiple considerations at play, not just the back issue, but other factors as well," he commented.
"We're encouraged. There's strong faith that he'll participate in a key capacity. Ideally it's the first Test. If not, we'll reassess."
Injury History
Cummins was ruled out Australia's limited-overs series against India and New Zealand in the previous weeks after examinations confirmed a lumbar bone stress.
There is a track record of recurring issues, with recurrences in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 leading to absences from multiple domestic campaigns in four years.
He emphasized he would be proactive in his approach in his rehabilitation process to ensure his availability for the series.
He mentioned that there was no confirmation if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his comeback but conceded it was "becoming urgent" for him to regain fitness for the opener.
Backup Options
If he's unavailable, ex-skipper Smith will take over the captaincy.
All-rounder Cameron Green was withdrawn recently from Australia's squad for their ODI contests against the subcontinent side as a safety move because of soreness in his side.
He labeled it as a "slight concern and mentioned that Green will play in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "in a good place to be ready to bowl."
"Considerable effort has gone into developing the strategy for him to take part for the initial game as an all-rounder," he elaborated.
"His involvement was limited to the first two ODIs anyway. How he handles the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, if it causes any delay for 24 more hours, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively."
Match Calendar
The Historic Rivalry
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
