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The Australian chief selector Bailey has confirmed that captain Pat Cummins will be a central figure in this winter's historic rivalry.

Speculation had been growing that the veteran bowler might be unavailable due to a persistent back stress problem that remained unresolved.

Previous updates from the Australian camp suggested no official announcement had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the Test matches kicking off on November 21 in the WACA.

He revealed that his recovery is on track and was "optimistic" about his chances of taking part.

"It's clear that time is getting short and various factors around that, aside from the physical problem, but other factors as well," Bailey remarked.

"It's positive. There's strong faith that he'll participate in a major part. Hopefully it's the first Test. If not, we'll adjust."

Injury History

He was sidelined Australia's limited-overs series against both Asian and Trans-Tasman rivals in the previous weeks after medical tests showed a stress reaction in his back.

There is a track record of back injuries, with setbacks in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 causing him to miss several home seasons in a short span.

Cummins stated he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his comeback strategy to secure his spot for the series.

Bailey noted that it was unclear if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his comeback but admitted it was "pressing" for him to be fit for the initial match.

Alternative Arrangements

In case of absence, veteran batsman Smith will take over the captaincy.

All-rounder Cameron Green was excluded lately from Australia's squad for their one-day international series against India as a safety move because of an abdominal issue.

He labeled it as a "small issue and mentioned that he'll feature in the state-level matches, so will be "in a good place to resume bowling."

"Extensive planning has gone into building out the plan for him to be available for the opening match as an dual-role player," the selector detailed.

"His involvement was limited to the initial matches regardless. How he handles the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, even if it just sets him back for another day, we opted to adopt a safer strategy."

Series Schedule

The Historic Rivalry

Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026