🔗 Share this article Australia's captain Set to Play a Significant Contribution in Ashes Series Pat Cummins has secured over 300 dismissals in 71 appearances with an impressive average. The Australian chief selector the selector has stated that skipper Cummins will play a "major part" in this winter's England-Australia contest. There were concerns that Cummins might be unavailable due to a stress fracture in his back that remained unresolved. Previous updates from the squad suggested no definitive call had been made regarding whether he would play, with the extended contest scheduled to begin on November 21 in Western Australia. Bailey expressed that Cummins is "building up" and felt positive about the prospects of participating. "It's clear that the clock is ticking and there are permutations at play, aside from the physical problem, but other factors as well," Bailey remarked. "We're encouraged. We firmly believe that he's going to play a key capacity. Ideally starting in Perth. If not, we'll adjust." Injury History The captain missed Australia's limited-overs series against both Asian and Trans-Tasman rivals in the previous weeks after scans revealed a lower back issue. He has a history of spinal problems, with setbacks in several earlier campaigns causing him to miss multiple domestic campaigns in a short span. The bowler mentioned he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his recovery plan to secure his spot for the Ashes. The selector indicated that he did not know if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his comeback but conceded it was "becoming urgent" for him to recover fully for the opener. Backup Options Should Cummins not be fit, former captain Steve Smith will assume leadership. All-rounder Cameron Green was recently pulled out from the national team for their ODI contests against the subcontinent side as a safety move because of an abdominal issue. Bailey described it as a "small issue and stated that Green will play in the state-level matches, so will be "ideally positioned to resume bowling." "We put so much time has gone into creating the schedule for him to take part for the initial game as an all-rounder," he elaborated. "He was only going to play the starting games in any case. The way he swings the willow in shorter formats, should it hinder progress for another day, we just made the decision to adopt a safer strategy." Series Schedule Australia vs England: The Ashes 21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026