The Australian skipper has secured 309 wickets in 71 appearances with an average of 22.10.
The Australian chief selector George Bailey has stated that skipper Cummins will play a "major part" in this winter's Ashes series.
Speculation had been growing that the veteran bowler might miss the series due to a persistent back stress problem that was still troubling him.
Previous updates from the Australian camp suggested no official announcement had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the extended contest set to start on the 21st of November in Perth.
He revealed that Cummins is "building up" and remained hopeful about the prospects of participating.
"It's clear that the clock is ticking and various factors around that, not just the back issue, but further aspects," the selector added.
"We're encouraged. We firmly believe that he's going to play a major part. Hopefully it's the first Test. If not, we'll adjust."
Past Concerns
Cummins was ruled out the ODI and T20 games against New Zealand and India last month after examinations confirmed a lumbar bone stress.
He has a history of recurring issues, with recurrences in several earlier campaigns causing him to miss multiple domestic campaigns in four years.
Cummins stated he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his recovery plan to secure his spot for the series.
Bailey noted that it was unclear if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his recovery but admitted it was "pressing" for him to regain fitness for the opener.
Contingency Plans
In case of absence, ex-skipper Smith will lead the side.
All-rounder Cameron Green was withdrawn recently from the ODI lineup for their ODI contests against the subcontinent side as a precautionary measure because of an abdominal issue.
The selector characterized it as a "slight concern and mentioned that he'll feature in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "ideally positioned to resume bowling."
"Considerable effort has gone into developing the strategy for him to participate for the first Test as an all-rounder," he elaborated.
"His involvement was limited to the initial matches anyway. The way he swings the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, if it causes any delay for 24 more hours, the choice was made to approach this more conservatively."
Fixture Details
The Ashes: Australia v England
From November 21, 2025 to January 7, 2026
