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Australia's chief selector Bailey has confirmed that skipper Cummins will play a "major part" in the forthcoming Ashes series.

There were concerns that Cummins might be unavailable due to a persistent back stress problem that remained unresolved.

Earlier indications from the Australian camp suggested no definitive call had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the five-Test series set to start on November 21 in the WACA.

The selector shared that the captain is progressing and was "optimistic" about the likelihood of being involved.

"We know that the clock is ticking and there are permutations around that, aside from the physical problem, but additional elements," he commented.

"We're encouraged. We firmly believe that he's going to play a major part. Ideally from the opening match. Should that not happen, we'll adjust."

Past Concerns

Cummins was ruled out Australia's limited-overs series against India and New Zealand last month after examinations confirmed a stress reaction in his back.

Previous incidents include of spinal problems, with setbacks in multiple past seasons leading to absences from several home seasons in a limited period.

He emphasized he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his comeback strategy to ensure his availability for the Ashes.

Bailey noted that he did not know if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his comeback but conceded it was "getting tight" for him to recover fully for the opener.

Backup Options

If he's unavailable, veteran batsman Smith will assume leadership.

The talented all-rounder was recently pulled out from Australia's squad for their one-day international series against the Asian giants as a safety move because of soreness in his side.

Bailey described it as a "slight concern and confirmed that he's scheduled to appear in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "in a good place to resume bowling."

"We put so much time has gone into building out the plan for him to participate for the opening match as an batting and bowling option," the selector detailed.

"He was only going to play the first two ODIs regardless. His aggressive style the bat in limited-overs, should it hinder progress for another day, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively."

Fixture Details

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