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The Australian chief selector the selector has declared that captain Pat Cummins will be a central figure in the forthcoming Ashes series.

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

Earlier indications from the squad suggested no official announcement had been made regarding his involvement, with the Test matches set to start on November 21 in Perth.

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

"It's clear that the clock is ticking and various factors involved, aside from his injury, but further aspects," he commented.

"It's positive. We firmly believe that he's going to play a major part. Hopefully from the opening match. Should that not happen, we'll reassess."

Past Concerns

Cummins was ruled out the white-ball matches against India and New Zealand last month after scans revealed a lumbar bone stress.

There is a track record of recurring issues, with recurrences in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 forcing him out of multiple domestic campaigns in a short span.

Cummins stated he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his rehabilitation process to secure his spot for the Ashes.

Bailey noted that he did not know if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his rehabilitation but conceded it was "pressing" for him to recover fully for the opener.

Contingency Plans

In case of absence, former captain Steve Smith will lead the side.

The talented all-rounder was excluded lately from the national team for their limited-overs matches against the subcontinent side as a preventive step because of discomfort in his torso.

Bailey described it as a "small issue and confirmed that he's scheduled to appear in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "well-prepared to deliver overs."

"Considerable effort has gone into developing the strategy for him to participate for the opening match as an all-rounder," the selector detailed.

"Originally, he'd only feature in the first two ODIs regardless. His aggressive style the bat in limited-overs, if it causes any delay for a short period, the choice was made to approach this more conservatively."

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