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The Australian chief selector the selector has confirmed that captain Pat Cummins will play a "major part" in the upcoming Ashes series.

Speculation had been growing that the 32-year-old might be unavailable due to a persistent back stress problem that was still troubling him.

Earlier indications from team management suggested no official announcement had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the Test matches kicking off on 21 November in the WACA.

He revealed that his recovery is on track and remained hopeful about the likelihood of being involved.

"We're aware that the clock is ticking and multiple considerations at play, not just his injury, but additional elements," he commented.

"We're encouraged. There's strong faith that he'll participate in a major part. With luck it's the first Test. If not, then we'll pick it up."

Past Concerns

Cummins was ruled out the white-ball matches against New Zealand and India in the previous weeks after scans revealed a lumbar bone stress.

He has a history of back injuries, with recurrences in several earlier campaigns forcing him out of several home seasons in a short span.

The bowler mentioned he would be bold in recovery efforts in his recovery plan to ensure his availability for the Ashes.

He mentioned that it was unclear if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his recovery but acknowledged it was "pressing" for him to be fit for the first Test.

Contingency Plans

If he's unavailable, veteran batsman Smith will lead the side.

The talented all-rounder was excluded lately from the national team for their one-day international series against the Asian giants 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 state-level matches, so will be "in a good place to be ready to bowl."

"Considerable effort has gone into developing the strategy for him to participate for the opening match as an dual-role player," he elaborated.

"He was only going to play the initial matches in any case. How he handles the bat in limited-overs, even if it just sets him back for 24 more hours, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively."

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