The pace bowler has taken 309 Test scalps in 71 five-day games with an impressive average.
Australia's chair of selectors George Bailey has confirmed that skipper Cummins will be a central figure in the upcoming Ashes series.
There were concerns that Cummins might be unavailable due to a persistent back stress problem that had not yet healed.
Previous updates from team management suggested no final decision had been made regarding whether he would play, with the extended contest set to start on November 21 in Perth.
The selector shared that the captain is progressing and felt positive about the prospects of taking part.
"It's clear that time is getting short and multiple considerations involved, aside from his injury, but other factors as well," he commented.
"We're encouraged. [We are] really confident that he will feature a major part. Ideally it's the first Test. Should that not happen, we'll reassess."
Past Concerns
He was sidelined Australia's limited-overs series against New Zealand and India recently after scans revealed a lower back issue.
There is a track record of recurring issues, with flare-ups in several earlier campaigns leading to absences from several home seasons in four years.
The bowler mentioned he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his comeback strategy to make the squad for the contest.
The selector indicated that there was no confirmation if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his recovery but conceded it was "pressing" for him to regain fitness for the opener.
Contingency Plans
In case of absence, ex-skipper Smith will assume leadership.
The talented all-rounder was excluded lately from the ODI lineup for their one-day international series against India as a preventive step because of an abdominal issue.
He labeled it as a "slight concern and confirmed that he's scheduled to appear in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "ideally positioned to be ready to bowl."
"We put so much time has gone into creating the schedule for him to participate for the first Test as an all-rounder," the selector detailed.
"Originally, he'd only feature in the first two ODIs regardless. His aggressive style the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, if it causes any delay for another day, we opted to approach this more conservatively."
Fixture Details
Australia vs England: The Ashes
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
