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

Speculation had been growing that the 32-year-old might sit out due to a persistent back stress problem that was still troubling him.

Earlier indications from the squad suggested no definitive call had been made regarding his involvement, with the extended contest set to start on 21 November in the WACA.

He revealed that the captain is progressing and was "optimistic" about the likelihood of being involved.

"We know that the window is narrowing and various factors involved, not only the back issue, but other factors as well," he commented.

"The outlook is good. [We are] really confident that he'll participate in a major part. With luck it's the first Test. If not, then we'll pick it up."

Injury History

Cummins was ruled out the ODI and T20 games against New Zealand and India recently after scans revealed a lumbar bone stress.

There is a track record of back injuries, with recurrences in multiple past seasons leading to absences from several home seasons in a short span.

Cummins stated he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his recovery plan to secure his spot for the Ashes.

Bailey noted that he did not know if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his comeback but conceded it was "pressing" for him to regain fitness for the first Test.

Contingency Plans

Should Cummins not be fit, veteran batsman Smith will take over the captaincy.

The talented all-rounder was recently pulled out from the national team for their limited-overs matches against India as a safety move because of soreness in his side.

Bailey described it as a "minor" injury and confirmed that he's scheduled to appear in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "ideally positioned to be ready to bowl."

"We put so much time has gone into creating the schedule for him to participate for the initial game as an batting and bowling option," Bailey explained.

"His involvement was limited to the first two ODIs in any case. How he handles the bat in limited-overs, should it hinder progress for a short period, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively."

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