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The Australian chief selector the selector has stated that pace spearhead Cummins will be a central figure in this winter's Ashes series.

Speculation had been growing that the veteran bowler might miss the series due to a stress fracture in his back that remained unresolved.

Previous updates from team management suggested no official announcement had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the extended contest set to start on the 21st of November in the WACA.

He revealed that Cummins is "building up" and felt positive about the prospects of being involved.

"We know that the window is narrowing and various factors around that, aside from his injury, but further aspects," the selector added.

"It's positive. We firmly believe that he will feature a major part. Hopefully it's the first Test. Should that not happen, then we'll pick it up."

Injury History

The captain missed Australia's limited-overs series against both Asian and Trans-Tasman rivals recently after scans revealed a lumbar bone stress.

He has a history of back injuries, with setbacks in multiple past seasons causing him to miss multiple domestic campaigns in a limited period.

The bowler mentioned he would be proactive in his approach in his comeback strategy to ensure his availability for the series.

The selector indicated that he did not know if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his recovery but conceded it was "becoming urgent" for him to regain fitness for the opener.

Backup Options

Should Cummins not be fit, veteran batsman Smith will assume leadership.

Versatile player Green was recently pulled out from Australia's squad for their one-day international series against India as a safety move because of soreness in his side.

The selector characterized it as a "slight concern and stated that he'll feature 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 be available for the opening match as an batting and bowling option," the selector detailed.

"Originally, he'd only feature in the first two ODIs anyway. The way he swings the willow in shorter formats, should it hinder progress for 24 more hours, we opted to approach this more conservatively."

Series Schedule

Australia vs England: The Ashes

Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026