The Australian skipper has taken 309 wickets in 71 Test matches with an stellar bowling average.
Australia's selection chief George Bailey has declared that pace spearhead Cummins will be a central figure in the upcoming historic rivalry.
There were concerns that the 32-year-old might miss the series due to a stress fracture in his back that was still troubling him.
Initial reports from the Australian camp suggested no definitive call had been made regarding his involvement, with the Test matches set to start on the 21st of November in the WACA.
He revealed that Cummins is "building up" and remained hopeful about his chances of taking part.
"We know that time is getting short and there are permutations around that, not only the back issue, but other factors as well," he commented.
"The outlook is good. [We are] really confident that he's going to play a key capacity. Hopefully from the opening match. Otherwise, then we'll pick it up."
Injury History
He was sidelined Australia's limited-overs series against both Asian and Trans-Tasman rivals in the previous weeks after examinations confirmed a lower back issue.
He has a history of back injuries, with setbacks in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 causing him to miss several home seasons in a limited period.
The bowler mentioned he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his comeback strategy to make the squad for the series.
The selector indicated that he did not know if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his recovery but admitted it was "becoming urgent" for him to recover fully for the first Test.
Contingency Plans
Should Cummins not be fit, veteran batsman Smith will lead the side.
Versatile player Green was excluded lately from the ODI lineup for their one-day international series against India as a preventive step because of soreness in his side.
He labeled it as a "small issue and stated that he'll feature in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "in a good place to deliver overs."
"We put so much time has gone into building out the plan for him to take part for the opening match as an batting and bowling option," the selector detailed.
"He was only going to play the starting games anyway. The way he swings the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, if it causes any delay for a short period, the choice was made to adopt a safer strategy."
Fixture Details
The Ashes: Australia v England
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
