The pace bowler has secured 309 Test scalps in 71 five-day games with an impressive average.
Australia's selection chief Bailey has declared that pace spearhead Cummins will be a central figure in the upcoming Ashes series.
There were concerns that Cummins might miss the series due to a persistent back stress problem that remained unresolved.
Previous updates from the squad suggested no official announcement had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the Test matches kicking off on 21 November in Western Australia.
He revealed that his recovery is on track and remained hopeful about the likelihood of taking part.
"We're aware that the clock is ticking and there are permutations around that, not only the back issue, but further aspects," he commented.
"We're encouraged. We firmly believe that he will feature a key capacity. With luck it's the first Test. If not, we'll reassess."
Past Concerns
He was sidelined the ODI and T20 games against New Zealand and India in the previous weeks after medical tests showed a stress reaction in his back.
Previous incidents include of recurring issues, with flare-ups in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 causing him to miss three Australian summers in four years.
He emphasized he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his recovery plan to secure his spot for the contest.
Bailey noted that it was unclear if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his rehabilitation but acknowledged it was "pressing" for him to regain fitness for the first Test.
Backup Options
In case of absence, veteran batsman Smith will take over the captaincy.
The talented all-rounder was recently pulled out from Australia's squad for their one-day international series against India as a preventive step because of soreness in his side.
Bailey described it as a "minor" injury and stated that he's scheduled to appear in the state-level matches, so will be "well-prepared to deliver overs."
"We put so much time has gone into creating the schedule for him to take part for the initial game as an batting and bowling option," the selector detailed.
"His involvement was limited to the initial matches anyway. His aggressive style the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, if it causes any delay for another day, we just made the decision to take a cautious route."
Match Calendar
The Ashes: Australia v England
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
