Pat Cummins has taken over 300 dismissals in 71 appearances with an impressive average.
Australia's chief selector the selector has declared that skipper Cummins will have a crucial role in the upcoming England-Australia contest.
There were concerns that Cummins might miss the series 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 his involvement, with the Test matches set to start on the 21st of November in the WACA.
He revealed that his recovery is on track and was "optimistic" about his chances of being involved.
"It's clear that the window is narrowing and various factors around that, aside from the back issue, but further aspects," he commented.
"The outlook is good. We firmly believe that he will feature a major part. Hopefully from the opening match. Otherwise, we'll reassess."
Past Concerns
He was sidelined Australia's limited-overs series against New Zealand and India last month after scans revealed a lumbar bone stress.
Previous incidents include of spinal problems, with flare-ups in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 forcing him out of multiple domestic campaigns in a short span.
Cummins stated he would be proactive in his approach in his rehabilitation process to secure his spot for the contest.
He mentioned that there was no confirmation if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his recovery but conceded it was "becoming urgent" for him to regain fitness for the first Test.
Contingency Plans
If he's unavailable, ex-skipper Smith will assume leadership.
All-rounder Cameron Green was excluded lately from the national team for their one-day international series against the Asian giants as a preventive step because of soreness in his side.
Bailey described it as a "small issue and stated that he's scheduled to appear in the state-level matches, so will be "ideally positioned to resume bowling."
"Considerable effort has gone into developing the strategy for him to take part for the initial game as an all-rounder," Bailey explained.
"Originally, he'd only feature in the initial matches in any case. How he handles the bat in limited-overs, if it causes any delay for a short period, the choice was made to approach this more conservatively."
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