The pace bowler has claimed over 300 dismissals in 71 appearances with an impressive average.
Australia's selection chief the selector has confirmed that captain Pat Cummins will play a "major part" in this winter's England-Australia contest.
There were concerns that Cummins might be unavailable due to a stress fracture in his back that had not yet healed.
Initial reports from the Australian camp suggested no definitive call had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the extended contest scheduled to begin on the 21st of November in Western Australia.
Bailey expressed that his recovery is on track and felt positive about the prospects of being involved.
"We know that the window is narrowing and multiple considerations around that, aside from the back issue, but further aspects," the selector added.
"It's positive. We firmly believe that he's going to play a major part. Hopefully from the opening match. Otherwise, then we'll pick it up."
Injury History
Cummins was ruled out the ODI and T20 games against India and New Zealand in the previous weeks after examinations confirmed a lower back issue.
There is a track record of recurring issues, with recurrences in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 forcing him out of several home seasons in four years.
Cummins stated he would be bold in recovery efforts in his rehabilitation process to ensure his availability for the Ashes.
The selector indicated that it was unclear if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his comeback but conceded it was "pressing" for him to regain fitness for the first Test.
Contingency Plans
If he's unavailable, former captain Steve Smith will lead the side.
The talented all-rounder was withdrawn recently from the national team for their ODI contests against India as a safety move because of an abdominal issue.
He labeled it as a "slight concern and mentioned that he's scheduled to appear in the state-level matches, 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 initial game as an dual-role player," he elaborated.
"Originally, he'd only feature in the starting games regardless. His aggressive style the bat in limited-overs, should it hinder progress for 24 more hours, the choice was made to approach this more conservatively."
Fixture Details
Australia vs England: The Ashes
21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026
