The Australian skipper has claimed over 300 dismissals in 71 five-day games with an stellar bowling average.
Australia's chair of selectors George Bailey has stated that skipper Cummins will play a "major part" in this winter's historic rivalry.
There were concerns that the 32-year-old might be unavailable due to a stress fracture in his back that remained unresolved.
Initial reports from the squad suggested no final decision had been made regarding his involvement, with the five-Test series scheduled to begin on November 21 in the WACA.
The selector shared that the captain is progressing and remained hopeful about the likelihood of participating.
"We're aware that the window is narrowing and there are permutations involved, not just the back issue, but further aspects," the selector added.
"We're encouraged. We firmly believe that he will feature a major part. Hopefully it's the first Test. Otherwise, we'll reassess."
Past Concerns
Cummins was ruled out Australia's limited-overs series against India and New Zealand in the previous weeks after scans revealed a stress reaction in his back.
Previous incidents include of recurring issues, with setbacks in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 leading to absences from three Australian summers in a limited period.
Cummins stated he would be bold in recovery efforts in his comeback strategy to secure his spot for the contest.
Bailey noted that there was no confirmation if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his rehabilitation but acknowledged it was "becoming urgent" for him to regain fitness for the first Test.
Backup Options
If he's unavailable, ex-skipper Smith will lead the side.
Versatile player Green was excluded lately from the national team for their one-day international series against India as a preventive step because of soreness in his side.
The selector characterized it as a "slight concern and confirmed that he's scheduled to appear in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "ideally positioned to resume bowling."
"Extensive planning has gone into creating the schedule for him to take part for the first Test as an all-rounder," he elaborated.
"He was only going to play the first two ODIs anyway. His aggressive style the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, if it causes any delay for 24 more hours, we just made the decision to adopt a safer strategy."
Fixture Details
The Historic Rivalry
21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026
