Pat Cummins has secured 309 wickets in 71 five-day games with an stellar bowling average.
Australia's chair of selectors Bailey has declared that pace spearhead Cummins will play a "major part" in this winter's Ashes series.
There were concerns that Cummins might miss the series due to a ongoing back issue that remained unresolved.
Earlier indications from the squad suggested no official announcement had been made regarding whether he would play, with the Test matches set to start on 21 November in Western Australia.
He revealed that the captain is progressing and felt positive about the prospects of taking part.
"We know that time is getting short and multiple considerations involved, not only the back issue, but other factors as well," the selector added.
"It's positive. We firmly believe that he's going to play a major part. Hopefully from the opening match. Otherwise, we'll reassess."
Previous Setbacks
He was sidelined Australia's limited-overs series against both Asian and Trans-Tasman rivals in the previous weeks after scans revealed a stress reaction in his back.
He has a history of back injuries, with setbacks in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 leading to absences from multiple domestic campaigns in a short span.
The bowler mentioned he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his rehabilitation process to secure his spot for the contest.
Bailey noted that he did not know if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his comeback but acknowledged it was "pressing" for him to regain fitness for the initial match.
Alternative Arrangements
If he's unavailable, former captain Steve Smith will assume leadership.
All-rounder Cameron Green was recently pulled out from Australia's squad for their limited-overs matches against India as a safety move because of soreness in his side.
He labeled it as a "small issue and mentioned that he'll feature in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "well-prepared to be ready to bowl."
"We put so much time has gone into building out the plan for him to be available for the first Test as an all-rounder," the selector detailed.
"His involvement was limited to the first two ODIs anyway. The way he swings the willow in shorter formats, even if it just sets him back for 24 more hours, we opted to adopt a safer strategy."
Fixture Details
The Historic Rivalry
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
