The Australian skipper has taken 309 wickets in 71 five-day games with an impressive average.
The Australian selection chief the selector has declared that pace spearhead Cummins will be a central figure in this winter's Ashes series.
Speculation had been growing that Cummins might sit out due to a ongoing back issue that remained unresolved.
Initial reports from the squad suggested no official announcement had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the Test matches scheduled to begin on November 21 in the WACA.
He revealed that Cummins is "building up" and remained hopeful about his chances of participating.
"We're aware that time is getting short and various factors involved, not only his injury, but other factors as well," Bailey remarked.
"The outlook is good. There's strong faith that he'll participate in a key capacity. Hopefully from the opening match. Otherwise, then we'll pick it up."
Injury History
He was sidelined Australia's limited-overs series against New Zealand and India in the previous weeks after scans revealed a lumbar bone stress.
He has a history of back injuries, with setbacks in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 forcing him out of three Australian summers in four years.
He emphasized he would be proactive in his approach in his rehabilitation process to secure his spot for the series.
Bailey noted that it was unclear if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his rehabilitation but admitted it was "pressing" for him to regain fitness for the first Test.
Backup Options
In case of absence, former captain Steve Smith will assume leadership.
The talented all-rounder was withdrawn recently from the ODI lineup for their ODI contests against the Asian giants as a safety move because of soreness in his side.
The selector characterized it as a "small issue and stated that he'll feature in the state-level matches, so will be "ideally positioned to resume bowling."
"Considerable effort has gone into developing the strategy for him to participate for the first Test as an dual-role player," Bailey explained.
"Originally, he'd only feature in the starting games anyway. How he handles the bat in limited-overs, should it hinder progress for 24 more hours, we just made the decision to take a cautious route."
Fixture Details
Australia vs England: The Ashes
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
