The pace bowler has secured 309 wickets in 71 Test matches with an average of 22.10.
The Australian chief selector Bailey has confirmed that skipper Cummins will have a crucial role in the upcoming England-Australia contest.
Speculation had been growing that the veteran bowler might be unavailable due to a stress fracture in his back that was still troubling him.
Previous updates from the Australian camp suggested no final decision had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the extended contest scheduled to begin on November 21 in Western Australia.
He revealed that his recovery is on track and was "optimistic" about the prospects of taking part.
"It's clear that the clock is ticking and there are permutations around that, not just the back issue, but further aspects," Bailey remarked.
"We're encouraged. There's strong faith that he's going to play a major part. Hopefully from the opening match. Otherwise, we'll reassess."
Past Concerns
He was sidelined the ODI and T20 games against both Asian and Trans-Tasman rivals in the previous weeks after examinations confirmed a stress reaction in his back.
Previous incidents include of recurring issues, with setbacks in multiple past seasons forcing him out of three Australian summers in a short span.
The bowler mentioned he would be bold in recovery efforts in his rehabilitation process to make the squad for the series.
Bailey noted that it was unclear if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his recovery but acknowledged it was "getting tight" for him to regain fitness for the initial match.
Backup Options
If he's unavailable, former captain Steve Smith will take over the captaincy.
All-rounder Cameron Green was withdrawn recently from the national team for their limited-overs matches against the Asian giants as a safety move because of discomfort in his torso.
The selector characterized it as a "small issue and stated that he's scheduled to appear in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "ideally positioned to resume bowling."
"Considerable effort has gone into developing the strategy for him to take part for the opening match as an batting and bowling option," the selector detailed.
"His involvement was limited to the initial matches in any case. His aggressive style the bat in limited-overs, even if it just sets him back for a short period, we just made the decision to take a cautious route."
Series Schedule
The Historic Rivalry
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
