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Australia's chief selector George Bailey has stated that captain Pat Cummins will have a crucial role in this winter's Ashes series.

There were concerns that the veteran bowler might be unavailable due to a ongoing back issue that was still troubling him.

Previous updates from the Australian camp suggested no definitive call had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the Test matches kicking off on 21 November in the WACA.

He revealed that his recovery is on track and remained hopeful about the likelihood of taking part.

"We're aware that the window is narrowing and there are permutations at play, aside from the back issue, but other factors as well," the selector added.

"The outlook is good. We firmly believe that he'll participate in a key capacity. With luck it's the first Test. If not, then we'll pick it up."

Past Concerns

The captain missed the white-ball matches against New Zealand and India recently after examinations confirmed a lumbar bone stress.

There is a track record of recurring issues, with recurrences in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 leading to absences from three Australian summers in four years.

Cummins stated he would be bold in recovery efforts in his comeback strategy to ensure his availability for the series.

Bailey noted that it was unclear if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his rehabilitation but admitted it was "pressing" for him to be fit for the opener.

Contingency Plans

Should Cummins not be fit, former captain Steve Smith will assume leadership.

The talented all-rounder was excluded lately from the national team for their limited-overs matches against the Asian giants as a safety move because of an abdominal issue.

Bailey described it as a "slight concern and confirmed that he'll feature in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "ideally positioned to be ready to bowl."

"Considerable effort has gone into building out the plan for him to participate for the opening match as an batting and bowling option," he elaborated.

"He was only going to play the first two ODIs anyway. How he handles the bat in limited-overs, should it hinder progress for another day, we opted to adopt a safer strategy."

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