The pace bowler has claimed 309 wickets in 71 five-day games with an impressive average.
Australia's selection chief the selector has confirmed that captain Pat Cummins will be a central figure in the upcoming England-Australia contest.
There were concerns that the 32-year-old might be unavailable due to a persistent back stress problem that had not yet healed.
Previous updates from team management suggested no final decision had been made regarding his involvement, with the extended contest set to start on November 21 in Western Australia.
The selector shared that the captain is progressing and remained hopeful about the likelihood of taking part.
"We know that time is getting short and there are permutations around that, not just his injury, but other factors as well," Bailey remarked.
"It's positive. We firmly believe that he's going to play a key capacity. With luck from the opening match. Should that not happen, then we'll pick it up."
Past Concerns
Cummins was ruled out Australia's limited-overs series against India and New Zealand in the previous weeks after scans revealed a lumbar bone stress.
He has a history of recurring issues, with setbacks in several earlier campaigns leading to absences from three Australian summers in a short span.
The bowler mentioned he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his rehabilitation process to make the squad for the series.
The selector indicated that it was unclear if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his comeback but admitted it was "getting tight" for him to recover fully for the initial match.
Alternative Arrangements
In case of absence, former captain Steve Smith will assume leadership.
Versatile player Green was excluded lately from the national team for their one-day international series against the Asian giants as a precautionary measure because of soreness in his side.
The selector characterized 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 deliver overs."
"We put so much time has gone into creating the schedule for him to participate for the first Test as an all-rounder," Bailey explained.
"Originally, he'd only feature in the starting games anyway. The way he swings the willow in shorter formats, if it causes any delay for another day, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively."
Series Schedule
The Ashes: Australia v England
21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026
