The pace bowler has taken 309 wickets in 71 five-day games with an stellar bowling average.
The Australian selection chief the selector has declared that skipper Cummins will be a central figure in the forthcoming England-Australia contest.
There were concerns that Cummins might be unavailable due to a stress fracture in his back that had not yet healed.
Previous updates from team management suggested no official announcement had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the extended contest set to start on 21 November in Western Australia.
Bailey expressed that Cummins is "building up" and remained hopeful about the likelihood of taking part.
"It's clear that the clock is ticking and multiple considerations around that, not just his injury, but other factors as well," he commented.
"It's positive. [We are] really confident that he will feature a key capacity. Ideally it's the first Test. Otherwise, then we'll pick it up."
Past Concerns
He was sidelined the ODI and T20 games against both Asian and Trans-Tasman rivals in the previous weeks after medical tests showed a lower back issue.
Previous incidents include of recurring issues, with recurrences in multiple past seasons causing him to miss several home seasons in four years.
The bowler mentioned he would be proactive in his approach in his rehabilitation process to make the squad for the contest.
He mentioned that it was unclear if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his rehabilitation but admitted it was "getting tight" for him to recover fully for the initial match.
Alternative Arrangements
If he's unavailable, ex-skipper Smith will assume leadership.
Versatile player Green was recently pulled out from the ODI lineup for their one-day international series against India as a preventive step because of discomfort in his torso.
The selector characterized it as a "minor" injury and stated that he'll feature in the state-level matches, so will be "in a good place to deliver overs."
"Extensive planning has gone into developing the strategy for him to take part for the opening match as an batting and bowling option," Bailey explained.
"His involvement was limited to the starting games in any case. How he handles the bat in limited-overs, if it causes any delay for 24 more hours, the choice was made to take a cautious route."
Fixture Details
The Ashes: Australia v England
From November 21, 2025 to January 7, 2026