The Australian skipper has secured over 300 dismissals in 71 Test matches with an average of 22.10.
The Australian chief selector George Bailey has confirmed that skipper Cummins will play a "major part" in the upcoming historic rivalry.
There were concerns that the veteran bowler might be unavailable due to a persistent back stress problem that was still troubling him.
Earlier indications from the Australian camp suggested no final decision had been made regarding whether he would play, with the extended contest scheduled to begin on 21 November in the WACA.
He revealed that the captain is progressing and remained hopeful about the likelihood of taking part.
"We know that the window is narrowing and there are permutations at play, not only the back issue, but further aspects," Bailey remarked.
"The outlook is good. We firmly believe that he's going to play a significant role. With luck starting in Perth. If not, we'll reassess."
Injury History
Cummins was ruled out Australia's limited-overs series against New Zealand and India last month after medical tests showed a lower back issue.
Previous incidents include of spinal problems, with flare-ups in several earlier campaigns leading to absences from three Australian summers in a short span.
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 Cummins had begun bowling as part of his recovery but admitted it was "becoming urgent" for him to recover fully for the initial match.
Contingency Plans
In case of absence, veteran batsman Smith will take over the captaincy.
All-rounder Cameron Green was excluded lately from the ODI lineup for their ODI contests against India as a safety move because of an abdominal issue.
He labeled it as a "slight concern and stated that Green will play in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "ideally positioned to resume bowling."
"Extensive planning has gone into building out the plan for him to take part for the first Test as an dual-role player," he elaborated.
"He was only going to play the initial matches in any case. The way he swings the willow in shorter formats, if it causes any delay for another day, the choice was made to approach this more conservatively."
Series Schedule
Australia vs England: The Ashes
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
