🔗 Share this article Australia's captain Set to Play a Major Role in Iconic Rivalry Pat Cummins has secured over 300 dismissals in 71 five-day games with an impressive average. The Australian chair of selectors the selector has stated that captain Pat Cummins will play a "major part" in the forthcoming historic rivalry. There were concerns that the veteran bowler might be unavailable due to a persistent back stress problem that had not yet healed. Initial reports from the squad suggested no final decision had been made regarding whether he would play, with the five-Test series kicking off on 21 November in Western Australia. He revealed that Cummins is "building up" and remained hopeful about his chances of being involved. "We're aware that time is getting short and multiple considerations around that, not just the back issue, but additional elements," Bailey remarked. "We're encouraged. There's strong faith that he's going to play a major part. Hopefully from the opening match. Should that not happen, we'll reassess." Previous Setbacks The captain missed the ODI and T20 games against India and New Zealand recently after examinations confirmed a lumbar bone stress. He has a history of back injuries, with setbacks in several earlier campaigns causing him to miss multiple domestic campaigns in four years. The bowler mentioned he would be bold in recovery efforts in his rehabilitation process to make the squad for the Ashes. Bailey noted that there was no confirmation if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his rehabilitation but acknowledged it was "becoming urgent" for him to recover fully for the first Test. Contingency Plans In case of absence, former captain Steve Smith will lead the side. The talented all-rounder was withdrawn recently from the national team for their one-day international series against the Asian giants as a preventive step because of soreness in his side. The selector characterized it as a "small issue and confirmed that he'll feature in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "ideally positioned to be ready to bowl." "We put so much time has gone into developing the strategy for him to be available for the first Test as an dual-role player," the selector detailed. "He was only going to play the initial matches anyway. His aggressive style the bat in limited-overs, if it causes any delay for 24 more hours, we opted to adopt a safer strategy." Fixture Details Australia vs England: The Ashes From November 21, 2025 to January 7, 2026