The Australian skipper has secured over 300 dismissals in 71 Test matches with an impressive average.
Australia's chair of selectors Bailey has declared that pace spearhead Cummins will have a crucial role in the forthcoming 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.
Previous updates from the Australian camp suggested no definitive call had been made regarding whether he would play, with the extended contest kicking off on 21 November in the WACA.
Bailey expressed that Cummins is "building up" and remained hopeful about the prospects of participating.
"We know that time is getting short and multiple considerations at play, aside from the physical problem, but further aspects," the selector added.
"It's positive. There's strong faith that he'll participate in a major part. Ideally it's the first Test. If not, we'll adjust."
Injury History
The captain missed Australia's limited-overs series against New Zealand and India in the previous weeks after medical tests showed a lumbar bone stress.
There is a track record of spinal problems, with recurrences in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 causing him to miss several home seasons in four years.
The bowler mentioned he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his comeback strategy to secure his spot for the contest.
He mentioned that there was no confirmation if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his comeback but acknowledged it was "becoming urgent" for him to be fit for the initial match.
Alternative Arrangements
If he's unavailable, veteran batsman Smith will take over the captaincy.
Versatile player Green was withdrawn recently from Australia's squad for their ODI contests against India as a precautionary measure because of soreness in his side.
The selector characterized it as a "slight concern and stated that he'll feature in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "in a good place to be ready to bowl."
"Considerable effort has gone into building out the plan for him to be available for the opening match as an batting and bowling option," the selector detailed.
"Originally, he'd only feature in the starting games regardless. His aggressive style the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, if it causes any delay for a short period, we opted to approach this more conservatively."
Series Schedule
The Historic Rivalry
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
