The Australian skipper has taken 309 wickets in 71 Test matches with an average of 22.10.
The Australian selection chief George Bailey has declared that pace spearhead Cummins will play a "major part" in this winter's England-Australia contest.
Rumors had circulated that the 32-year-old might be unavailable due to a ongoing back issue that remained unresolved.
Earlier indications from the squad suggested no definitive call had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the five-Test series set to start on November 21 in Western Australia.
He revealed that the captain is progressing and remained hopeful about the likelihood of taking part.
"We know that time is getting short and various factors around that, aside from the physical problem, but other factors as well," he commented.
"The outlook is good. We firmly believe that he will feature a key capacity. With luck from the opening match. Otherwise, then we'll pick it up."
Past Concerns
Cummins was ruled out the ODI and T20 games against both Asian and Trans-Tasman rivals last month after medical tests showed a lumbar bone stress.
Previous incidents include of spinal problems, with recurrences in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 leading to absences from multiple domestic campaigns in four years.
Cummins stated he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his comeback strategy to make the squad for the Ashes.
The selector indicated that he did not know if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his comeback but conceded it was "getting tight" for him to regain fitness for the initial match.
Contingency Plans
Should Cummins not be fit, former captain Steve Smith will lead the side.
All-rounder Cameron Green was excluded lately from Australia's squad for their ODI contests against India as a preventive step because of discomfort in his torso.
The selector characterized it as a "slight concern and mentioned that he'll feature in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "ideally positioned to be ready to bowl."
"We put so much time has gone into creating the schedule for him to take part for the opening match as an batting and bowling option," Bailey explained.
"His involvement was limited to the first two ODIs anyway. How he handles the willow in shorter formats, even if it just sets him back for a short period, the choice was made to approach this more conservatively."
Fixture Details
The Ashes: Australia v England
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
