The pace bowler has secured over 300 dismissals in 71 appearances with an impressive average.
The Australian chair of selectors the selector has confirmed that skipper Cummins will play a "major part" in the upcoming historic rivalry.
Speculation had been growing that the veteran bowler might miss the series due to a persistent back stress problem that remained unresolved.
Previous updates from the Australian camp suggested no official announcement had been made regarding whether he would play, with the five-Test series scheduled to begin on the 21st of November in Western Australia.
Bailey expressed that Cummins is "building up" and felt positive about the prospects of taking part.
"It's clear that the window is narrowing and there are permutations at play, aside from the back issue, but further aspects," Bailey remarked.
"We're encouraged. [We are] really confident that he'll participate in a significant role. Ideally from the opening match. Otherwise, then we'll pick it up."
Previous Setbacks
The captain missed Australia's limited-overs series against India and New Zealand recently after examinations confirmed a lumbar bone stress.
Previous incidents include of back injuries, with recurrences in multiple past seasons leading to absences from three Australian summers in a limited period.
Cummins stated he would be bold in recovery efforts in his comeback strategy to ensure his availability for the contest.
He mentioned that there was no confirmation if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his comeback but admitted it was "becoming urgent" for him to recover fully for the initial match.
Contingency Plans
Should Cummins not be fit, ex-skipper Smith will assume leadership.
The talented all-rounder was recently pulled out from the ODI lineup for their limited-overs matches against the Asian giants as a precautionary measure because of an abdominal issue.
The selector characterized it as a "slight concern and mentioned that he's scheduled to appear in the state-level matches, so will be "well-prepared to be ready to bowl."
"Extensive planning has gone into creating the schedule for him to participate for the initial game as an all-rounder," he elaborated.
"Originally, he'd only feature in the initial matches anyway. How he handles the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, even if it just sets him back for another day, we just made the decision to adopt a safer strategy."
Series Schedule
The Historic Rivalry
From November 21, 2025 to January 7, 2026
