Pat Cummins has secured 309 Test scalps in 71 appearances with an stellar bowling average.
Australia's chair of selectors Bailey has confirmed that captain Pat Cummins will be a central figure in the upcoming Ashes series.
Rumors had circulated that the 32-year-old might be unavailable due to a persistent back stress problem that had not yet healed.
Previous updates from team management suggested no final decision had been made regarding his involvement, with the extended contest set to start on November 21 in the WACA.
He revealed that his recovery is on track and remained hopeful about the prospects of being involved.
"We know that the window is narrowing and various factors involved, aside from his injury, but additional elements," he commented.
"The outlook is good. We firmly believe that he's going to play a key capacity. With luck from the opening match. Should that not happen, then we'll pick it up."
Injury History
The captain missed the white-ball matches against New Zealand and India recently after scans revealed a lower back issue.
There is a track record of recurring issues, with setbacks in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 causing him to miss three Australian summers in a limited period.
He emphasized he would be proactive in his approach in his rehabilitation process to ensure his availability for the Ashes.
Bailey noted that it was unclear if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his recovery but admitted it was "becoming urgent" for him to be fit for the first Test.
Backup Options
Should Cummins not be fit, veteran batsman Smith will take over the captaincy.
Versatile player Green was excluded lately from the ODI lineup for their ODI contests against the Asian giants as a safety move because of an abdominal issue.
Bailey described it as a "minor" injury and mentioned that Green will play in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "ideally positioned to be ready to bowl."
"Considerable effort has gone into developing the strategy for him to participate for the opening match as an dual-role player," Bailey explained.
"He was only going to play the starting games in any case. His aggressive style the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, should it hinder progress for 24 more hours, we opted to adopt a safer strategy."
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