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The Australian chair of selectors the selector has confirmed that captain Pat Cummins will be a central figure in the forthcoming England-Australia contest.

There were concerns that the veteran bowler might be unavailable due to a ongoing back issue that remained unresolved.

Initial reports from team management suggested no official announcement had been made regarding his involvement, with the five-Test series set to start on November 21 in Perth.

The selector shared that the captain is progressing and was "optimistic" about the prospects of participating.

"It's clear that time is getting short and multiple considerations involved, aside from his injury, but further aspects," the selector added.

"It's positive. There's strong faith that he'll participate in a key capacity. Hopefully it's the first Test. If not, then we'll pick it up."

Past Concerns

He was sidelined the ODI and T20 games against India and New Zealand last month after medical tests showed a lumbar bone stress.

Previous incidents include of spinal problems, with flare-ups in multiple past seasons causing him to miss several home seasons in a limited period.

He emphasized he would be bold in recovery efforts in his rehabilitation process to make the squad for the contest.

The selector indicated that he did not know if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his comeback but conceded it was "becoming urgent" for him to regain fitness for the initial match.

Contingency Plans

In case of absence, ex-skipper Smith will lead the side.

All-rounder Cameron Green was recently pulled out from Australia's squad for their one-day international series against the subcontinent side as a preventive step because of discomfort in his torso.

Bailey described it as a "small issue and stated that he's scheduled to appear in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "ideally positioned to resume bowling."

"We put so much time has gone into building out the plan for him to participate for the opening match as an dual-role player," the selector detailed.

"His involvement was limited to the first two ODIs anyway. The way he swings the bat in limited-overs, should it hinder progress for 24 more hours, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively."

Series Schedule

The Historic Rivalry

From November 21, 2025 to January 7, 2026