🔗 Share this article Pat Cummins Set to Play a Significant Contribution in the Ashes The pace bowler has taken 309 wickets in 71 five-day games with an impressive average. Australia's chair of selectors Bailey has confirmed that pace spearhead Cummins will be a central figure in the forthcoming England-Australia contest. Speculation had been growing that Cummins might sit out due to a persistent back stress problem that remained unresolved. Previous updates from the Australian camp suggested no final decision had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the five-Test series set to start on 21 November in Perth. Bailey expressed that his recovery is on track and remained hopeful about his chances of being involved. "It's clear that time is getting short and various factors involved, aside from the back issue, but additional elements," he commented. "We're encouraged. We firmly believe that he will feature a significant role. Hopefully it's the first Test. If not, then we'll pick it up." Previous Setbacks Cummins was ruled out the white-ball matches against New Zealand and India recently after scans revealed a lumbar bone stress. There is a track record of back injuries, with recurrences in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 leading to absences from three Australian summers in a short span. Cummins stated he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his rehabilitation process to ensure his availability for the Ashes. The selector indicated that there was no confirmation if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his rehabilitation but conceded it was "pressing" for him to be fit for the initial match. Backup Options If he's unavailable, former captain Steve Smith will take over the captaincy. The talented all-rounder was recently pulled out from the national team for their limited-overs matches against the subcontinent side as a safety move because of an abdominal issue. He labeled it as a "minor" injury and mentioned that he'll feature in the state-level matches, so will be "in a good place to resume bowling." "Considerable effort has gone into building out the plan for him to participate for the first Test as an all-rounder," he elaborated. "He was only going to play the first two ODIs in any case. The way he swings the bat in limited-overs, if it causes any delay for 24 more hours, we opted to take a cautious route." Match Calendar Australia vs England: The Ashes From November 21, 2025 to January 7, 2026