The Australian skipper has claimed over 300 dismissals in 71 Test matches with an impressive average.
Australia's chair of selectors George Bailey has declared 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 remained unresolved.
Previous updates from the Australian camp suggested no official announcement had been made regarding whether he would play, with the Test matches scheduled to begin on November 21 in Perth.
The selector shared that Cummins is "building up" and was "optimistic" about the prospects of being involved.
"It's clear that the window is narrowing and various factors at play, aside from his injury, but other factors as well," the selector added.
"We're encouraged. There's strong faith that he's going to play a key capacity. Ideally from the opening match. If not, then we'll pick it up."
Past Concerns
The captain missed Australia's limited-overs series against both Asian and Trans-Tasman rivals last month after scans revealed a lumbar bone stress.
Previous incidents include of recurring issues, with flare-ups in several earlier campaigns causing him to miss three Australian summers in a limited period.
He emphasized he would be bold in recovery efforts in his recovery plan to make the squad for the Ashes.
The selector indicated that there was no confirmation if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his recovery but conceded it was "becoming urgent" for him to regain fitness for the initial match.
Contingency Plans
Should Cummins not be fit, former captain Steve Smith will take over the captaincy.
All-rounder Cameron Green was recently pulled out from the national team for their one-day international series against the subcontinent side as a precautionary measure because of an abdominal issue.
Bailey described it as a "slight concern and mentioned that he's scheduled to appear in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "well-prepared to deliver overs."
"We put so much time has gone into building out the plan for him to take part for the first Test as an all-rounder," he elaborated.
"His involvement was limited to the starting games in any case. His aggressive style the willow in shorter formats, if it causes any delay for 24 more hours, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively."
Series Schedule
The Historic Rivalry
21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026
