Australia's captain Expected to Feature a Major Role in Ashes Series

Australia's chief selector the selector has declared that skipper Cummins will have a crucial role in the forthcoming Ashes series.

Speculation had been growing that the veteran bowler might be unavailable due to a ongoing back issue that had not yet healed.

Earlier indications from the Australian camp suggested no final decision had been made regarding whether he would play, with the Test matches scheduled to begin on 21 November in the WACA.

Bailey expressed that Cummins is "building up" and remained hopeful about his chances of taking part.

"We're aware that the window is narrowing and there are permutations involved, aside from the physical problem, but additional elements," he commented.

"It's positive. We firmly believe that he'll participate in a major part. Hopefully from the opening match. Otherwise, we'll adjust."

Injury History

Cummins was ruled out Australia's limited-overs series against India and New Zealand in the previous weeks after examinations confirmed a lumbar bone stress.

There is a track record of spinal problems, with recurrences in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 leading to absences from three Australian summers in a short span.

He emphasized he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his recovery plan to make the squad for the series.

The selector indicated that he did not know if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his rehabilitation but conceded it was "becoming urgent" for him to recover fully for the first Test.

Backup Options

In case of absence, ex-skipper Smith will assume leadership.

All-rounder Cameron Green was withdrawn recently from Australia's squad for their one-day international series against India as a precautionary measure because of an abdominal issue.

He labeled it as a "minor" injury and mentioned that Green will play in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "ideally positioned to deliver overs."

"We put so much time has gone into building out the plan for him to participate for the initial game as an batting and bowling option," Bailey explained.

"He was only going to play the starting games anyway. How he handles the bat in limited-overs, should it hinder progress for a short period, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively."

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