Pat Cummins has taken over 300 dismissals in 71 appearances with an average of 22.10.
The Australian selection chief the selector has confirmed that captain Pat Cummins will be a central figure in the upcoming Ashes series.
Speculation had been growing that Cummins might miss the series due to a stress fracture in his back that was still troubling him.
Earlier indications from team management suggested no official announcement had been made regarding whether he would play, with the extended contest set to start on 21 November in Perth.
The selector shared 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, not only his injury, but additional elements," the selector added.
"The outlook is good. There's strong faith that he'll participate in a major part. With luck from the opening match. Should that not happen, we'll adjust."
Past Concerns
The captain missed the white-ball matches against both Asian and Trans-Tasman rivals recently after scans revealed a lumbar bone stress.
There is a track record of recurring issues, with flare-ups in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 causing him to miss three Australian summers in four years.
He emphasized he would be bold in recovery efforts in his comeback strategy to ensure his availability for the series.
He mentioned that it was unclear if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his comeback but acknowledged it was "becoming urgent" for him to recover fully for the opener.
Alternative Arrangements
If he's unavailable, ex-skipper Smith will take over the captaincy.
The talented all-rounder was recently pulled out from the ODI lineup for their limited-overs matches against the Asian giants as a safety move because of soreness in his side.
He labeled it as a "minor" injury and stated that he'll feature in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "well-prepared to deliver overs."
"Extensive planning has gone into developing the strategy for him to participate for the initial game as an batting and bowling option," he elaborated.
"His involvement was limited to the first two ODIs anyway. The way he swings the willow in shorter formats, if it causes any delay for 24 more hours, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively."
Match Calendar
Australia vs England: The Ashes
21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026
