The Australian skipper has taken 309 Test scalps in 71 Test matches with an average of 22.10.
The Australian chief selector the selector has declared that captain Pat Cummins will be a central figure in the forthcoming England-Australia contest.
Speculation had been growing that Cummins might sit out due to a ongoing back issue that remained unresolved.
Initial reports from the Australian camp suggested no definitive call had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the five-Test series set to start on November 21 in Western Australia.
The selector shared that the captain is progressing and was "optimistic" about the prospects of being involved.
"It's clear that time is getting short and various factors around that, aside from the back issue, but additional elements," he commented.
"It's positive. [We are] really confident that he's going to play a major part. Ideally it's the first Test. Should that not happen, then we'll pick it up."
Injury History
He was sidelined the white-ball matches against both Asian and Trans-Tasman rivals in the previous weeks after medical tests showed a lower back issue.
There is a track record of spinal problems, with recurrences in several earlier campaigns causing him to miss three Australian summers in four years.
He emphasized he would be proactive in his approach in his comeback strategy to make the squad for the contest.
Bailey noted that it was unclear if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his rehabilitation but acknowledged it was "getting tight" for him to recover fully for the first Test.
Contingency Plans
In case of absence, former captain Steve Smith will take over the captaincy.
Versatile player Green was recently pulled out from Australia's squad for their ODI contests against the subcontinent side as a preventive step because of soreness in his side.
The selector characterized it as a "small issue and mentioned that he's scheduled to appear in the state-level matches, so will be "ideally positioned to be ready to bowl."
"Extensive planning has gone into developing the strategy for him to take part for the initial game as an all-rounder," he elaborated.
"His involvement was limited to the initial matches anyway. How he handles the bat in limited-overs, should it hinder progress for 24 more hours, we just made the decision to adopt a safer strategy."
Fixture Details
The Historic Rivalry
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
