Pat Cummins Poised for a Major Role in Ashes Series
The pace bowler has taken 309 Test scalps in 71 Test matches with an stellar bowling average.
Australia's selection chief the selector has confirmed that captain Pat Cummins will play a "major part" in this winter's England-Australia contest.
Speculation had been growing that Cummins might miss the series due to a ongoing back issue that was still troubling him.
Earlier indications from team management suggested no official announcement had been made regarding his involvement, with the extended contest set to start on the 21st of November in the WACA.
He revealed that his recovery is on track and remained hopeful about his chances of taking part.
"It's clear that the clock is ticking and multiple considerations involved, not only the back issue, but additional elements," Bailey remarked.
"It's positive. We firmly believe that he will feature a key capacity. Hopefully it's the first Test. If not, we'll adjust."
Previous Setbacks
Cummins was ruled out the ODI and T20 games against New Zealand and India last month after medical tests showed a stress reaction in his back.
Previous incidents include of recurring issues, with recurrences in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 causing him to miss several home seasons in four years.
He emphasized he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his recovery plan to secure his spot for the Ashes.
The selector indicated that he did not know if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his comeback but acknowledged it was "pressing" for him to recover fully for the initial match.
Alternative Arrangements
If he's unavailable, ex-skipper Smith will assume leadership.
All-rounder Cameron Green was withdrawn recently from the national team for their ODI contests against India as a safety move because of discomfort in his torso.
He labeled it as a "small issue and confirmed that Green will play in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "ideally positioned to be ready to bowl."
"Considerable effort has gone into building out the plan for him to take part for the opening match as an all-rounder," Bailey explained.
"He was only going to play the first two ODIs in any case. How he handles the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, should it hinder progress for a short period, we just made the decision to take a cautious route."
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