Australia's captain Poised for a Major Role in Ashes Series

Australia's selection chief George Bailey has stated that pace spearhead Cummins will play a "major part" in this winter's Ashes series.

There were concerns that the 32-year-old might be unavailable due to a persistent back stress problem that had not yet healed.

Initial reports from the squad suggested no official announcement had been made regarding his involvement, with the Test matches scheduled to begin on November 21 in Western Australia.

Bailey expressed that the captain is progressing and felt positive about the likelihood of being involved.

"We know that time is getting short and there are permutations around that, not only his injury, but additional elements," he commented.

"We're encouraged. There's strong faith that he will feature a significant role. Hopefully starting in Perth. Should that not happen, we'll reassess."

Previous Setbacks

The captain missed Australia's limited-overs series against India and New Zealand recently after medical tests showed a stress reaction in his back.

He has a history of recurring issues, with recurrences in multiple past seasons leading to absences from several home seasons in four years.

The bowler mentioned he would be proactive in his approach in his recovery plan to make the squad for the series.

Bailey noted that it was unclear if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his recovery but conceded it was "pressing" for him to be fit for the first Test.

Alternative Arrangements

If he's unavailable, ex-skipper Smith will take over the captaincy.

All-rounder Cameron Green was recently pulled out from Australia's squad for their limited-overs matches against the Asian giants as a precautionary measure because of soreness in his side.

The selector characterized 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."

"Extensive planning has gone into creating the schedule for him to participate for the opening match as an all-rounder," the selector detailed.

"His involvement was limited to the initial matches in any case. The way he swings the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, even if it just sets him back for another day, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively."

Series Schedule

Australia vs England: The Ashes

From November 21, 2025 to January 7, 2026