The Australian skipper has secured 309 wickets in 71 Test matches with an stellar bowling average.
Australia's chief selector Bailey has confirmed that captain Pat Cummins will be a central figure in the upcoming England-Australia contest.
There were concerns that the veteran bowler might miss the series due to a persistent back stress problem that had not yet healed.
Initial reports from the Australian camp suggested no definitive call had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the Test matches scheduled to begin on 21 November in Western Australia.
Bailey expressed that his recovery is on track and remained hopeful about his chances of taking part.
"We know that time is getting short and multiple considerations involved, aside from his injury, but further aspects," Bailey remarked.
"It's positive. There's strong faith that he's going to play a key capacity. Hopefully from the opening match. Otherwise, we'll reassess."
Injury History
He was sidelined Australia's limited-overs series against both Asian and Trans-Tasman rivals in the previous weeks after medical tests showed a lumbar bone stress.
He has a history of recurring issues, with setbacks in multiple past seasons causing him to miss multiple domestic campaigns in four years.
The bowler mentioned he would be bold in recovery efforts in his rehabilitation process to secure his spot for the series.
The selector indicated that he did not know if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his recovery but conceded it was "becoming urgent" for him to recover fully for the first Test.
Contingency Plans
In case of absence, veteran batsman Smith will assume leadership.
All-rounder Cameron Green was withdrawn recently from the national team for their one-day international series against the Asian giants as a safety move because of discomfort in his torso.
He labeled it as a "slight concern and confirmed that he'll feature in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "well-prepared to resume bowling."
"We put so much time has gone into developing the strategy for him to be available for the opening match as an all-rounder," Bailey explained.
"Originally, he'd only feature in the initial matches in any case. His aggressive style the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, should it hinder progress for 24 more hours, we just made the decision to take a cautious route."
Series Schedule
The Historic Rivalry
21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026
