The pace bowler has claimed 309 Test scalps in 71 appearances with an stellar bowling average.
Australia's chief selector George Bailey has declared that pace spearhead Cummins will play a "major part" in the upcoming Ashes series.
Rumors had circulated that the 32-year-old might be unavailable due to a stress fracture in his back that was still troubling him.
Initial reports from the squad suggested no official announcement had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the Test matches kicking off on 21 November in Western Australia.
Bailey expressed that the captain is progressing and remained hopeful about the prospects of being involved.
"We know that time is getting short and various factors involved, not only his injury, but other factors as well," the selector added.
"We're encouraged. [We are] really confident that he'll participate in a major part. With luck it's the first Test. Otherwise, we'll reassess."
Previous Setbacks
The captain missed Australia's limited-overs series against New Zealand and India last month after examinations confirmed a lower back issue.
He has a history of recurring issues, with recurrences in multiple past seasons causing him to miss three Australian summers in four years.
Cummins stated he would be bold in recovery efforts in his rehabilitation process to ensure his availability for the series.
The selector indicated that it was unclear if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his comeback but admitted it was "getting tight" for him to regain fitness for the opener.
Alternative Arrangements
If he's unavailable, veteran batsman Smith will lead the side.
The talented all-rounder was recently pulled out from the ODI lineup for their ODI contests against India as a preventive step because of soreness in his side.
Bailey described it as a "minor" injury and stated that he'll feature in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "ideally positioned to deliver overs."
"Considerable effort has gone into building out the plan for him to take part for the opening match as an dual-role player," the selector detailed.
"His involvement was limited to the first two ODIs regardless. How he handles the willow in shorter formats, should it hinder progress for a short period, we just made the decision to take a cautious route."
Series Schedule
The Ashes: Australia v England
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
