The Australian skipper has secured over 300 dismissals in 71 five-day games with an stellar bowling average.
Australia's chair of selectors Bailey has declared that pace spearhead Cummins will be a central figure in the upcoming Ashes series.
There were concerns that Cummins might be unavailable due to a persistent back stress problem that had not yet healed.
Earlier indications from the Australian camp suggested no final decision had been made regarding his involvement, with the five-Test series scheduled to begin on November 21 in Perth.
Bailey expressed that the captain is progressing and was "optimistic" about his chances of participating.
"We know that the clock is ticking and various factors at play, not only the physical problem, but further aspects," the selector added.
"We're encouraged. We firmly believe that he's going to play a key capacity. Hopefully starting in Perth. Otherwise, we'll reassess."
Injury History
The captain missed the white-ball matches against both Asian and Trans-Tasman rivals in the previous weeks after scans revealed a lumbar bone stress.
He has a history of back injuries, with setbacks in several earlier campaigns leading to absences from multiple domestic campaigns in a short span.
He emphasized he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his comeback strategy to ensure his availability for the contest.
Bailey noted that it was unclear if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his comeback but acknowledged it was "becoming urgent" for him to recover fully for the initial match.
Backup Options
If he's unavailable, ex-skipper Smith will assume leadership.
Versatile player Green was recently pulled out from the national team for their limited-overs matches against India as a safety move because of discomfort in his torso.
Bailey described it as a "small issue and mentioned that he'll feature in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "in a good place to resume bowling."
"We put so much time has gone into developing the strategy for him to take part for the first Test as an batting and bowling option," he elaborated.
"His involvement was limited to the starting games regardless. His aggressive style the bat in limited-overs, if it causes any delay for 24 more hours, we opted to approach this more conservatively."
Fixture Details
The Historic Rivalry
21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026
