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Australia's selection chief Bailey has declared that skipper Cummins will have a crucial role in the forthcoming historic rivalry.

Speculation had been growing that Cummins might sit out due to a stress fracture in his back that was still troubling him.

Earlier indications from team management suggested no final decision had been made regarding his involvement, with the Test matches set to start on the 21st of November in Perth.

Bailey expressed that the captain is progressing and remained hopeful about the likelihood of participating.

"We're aware that the window is narrowing and various factors at play, not just his injury, but other factors as well," Bailey remarked.

"The outlook is good. [We are] really confident that he'll participate in a key capacity. Hopefully from the opening match. Should that not happen, we'll reassess."

Injury History

Cummins was ruled out the ODI and T20 games against New Zealand and India recently after examinations confirmed a stress reaction in his back.

He has a history of spinal problems, with setbacks in several earlier campaigns causing him to miss three Australian summers in a limited period.

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

Bailey noted that he did not know if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his comeback but conceded it was "getting tight" for him to regain fitness for the opener.

Backup Options

If he's unavailable, veteran batsman Smith will assume leadership.

All-rounder Cameron Green was recently pulled out from the national team for their limited-overs matches against India as a safety move because of discomfort in his torso.

Bailey described it as a "slight concern and stated that Green will play in the state-level matches, so will be "ideally positioned to be ready to bowl."

"Considerable effort has gone into creating the schedule for him to be available for the first Test as an all-rounder," the selector detailed.

"He was only going to play the first two ODIs in any case. His aggressive style the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, should it hinder progress for 24 more hours, we just made the decision to take a cautious route."

Series Schedule

The Historic Rivalry

Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026