The Australian skipper has claimed 309 wickets in 71 five-day games with an stellar bowling average.
The Australian chief selector George Bailey has confirmed that captain Pat Cummins will be a central figure in this winter's historic rivalry.
Rumors had circulated that the veteran bowler might be unavailable due to a stress fracture in his back that was still troubling him.
Previous updates from team management suggested no official announcement had been made regarding whether he would play, with the Test matches scheduled to begin on the 21st of November in the WACA.
The selector shared that Cummins is "building up" and was "optimistic" about the prospects of taking part.
"It's clear that the clock is ticking and multiple considerations at play, not just the physical problem, but additional elements," the selector added.
"We're encouraged. [We are] really confident that he's going to play a key capacity. Ideally it's the first Test. Otherwise, then we'll pick it up."
Injury History
Cummins was ruled out the ODI and T20 games against both Asian and Trans-Tasman rivals last month after scans revealed a stress reaction in his back.
There is a track record of spinal problems, with setbacks in multiple past seasons leading to absences from several home seasons in a short span.
Cummins stated he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his comeback strategy to make the squad for the contest.
Bailey noted that there was no confirmation if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his comeback but admitted it was "becoming urgent" for him to recover fully for the initial match.
Backup Options
If he's unavailable, former captain Steve Smith will lead the side.
Versatile player Green was withdrawn recently from Australia's squad for their limited-overs matches against India as a preventive step because of an abdominal issue.
Bailey described it as a "minor" injury 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 building out the plan for him to be available for the opening match as an all-rounder," Bailey explained.
"Originally, he'd only feature in the initial matches anyway. His aggressive style the bat in limited-overs, should it hinder progress for 24 more hours, the choice was made to approach this more conservatively."
Series Schedule
Australia vs England: The Ashes
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
