The pace bowler has claimed over 300 dismissals in 71 appearances with an stellar bowling average.
Australia's chief selector George Bailey has confirmed that pace spearhead Cummins will have a crucial role in the forthcoming Ashes series.
Speculation had been growing that Cummins might miss the series due to a stress fracture in his back that had not yet healed.
Previous updates from the Australian camp suggested no definitive call had been made regarding his involvement, with the extended contest set to start on November 21 in Western Australia.
He revealed that Cummins is "building up" and remained hopeful about his chances of being involved.
"We know that the window is narrowing and multiple considerations involved, not just his injury, but additional elements," Bailey remarked.
"We're encouraged. There's strong faith that he's going to play a major part. Ideally starting in Perth. If not, then we'll pick it up."
Previous Setbacks
Cummins was ruled out Australia's limited-overs series against New Zealand and India in the previous weeks after scans revealed a lower back issue.
He has a history of back injuries, with recurrences in multiple past seasons causing him to miss three Australian summers in a limited period.
The bowler mentioned he would be bold in recovery efforts in his rehabilitation process to ensure his availability for the contest.
Bailey noted that there was no confirmation 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 opener.
Contingency Plans
In case of absence, veteran batsman Smith will take over the captaincy.
The talented all-rounder was withdrawn recently from the national team for their ODI contests against the subcontinent side as a precautionary measure because of soreness in his side.
The selector characterized it as a "small issue and stated that he'll feature in the state-level matches, so will be "ideally positioned to deliver overs."
"Extensive planning has gone into building out the plan for him to be available for the initial game as an batting and bowling option," Bailey explained.
"His involvement was limited to the initial matches in any case. The way he swings the bat in limited-overs, even if it just sets him back for a short period, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively."
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The Historic Rivalry
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