Pat Cummins has taken over 300 dismissals in 71 Test matches with an impressive average.
The Australian selection chief Bailey has stated that captain Pat Cummins will be a central figure in this winter's Ashes series.
There were concerns that the veteran bowler might be unavailable due to a ongoing back issue that had not yet healed.
Previous updates from the Australian camp suggested no definitive call had been made regarding his involvement, with the Test matches set to start on 21 November in Perth.
He revealed that his recovery is on track and was "optimistic" about the likelihood of participating.
"It's clear that the window is narrowing and multiple considerations around that, not only the back issue, but further aspects," the selector added.
"It's positive. [We are] really confident that he will feature a key capacity. Ideally starting in Perth. Otherwise, then we'll pick it up."
Previous Setbacks
The captain missed Australia's limited-overs series against India and New Zealand last month after medical tests showed a lumbar bone stress.
Previous incidents include of back injuries, with recurrences in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 forcing him out of three Australian summers in four years.
He emphasized he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his comeback strategy to secure his spot for the series.
He mentioned that it was unclear if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his recovery but conceded it was "becoming urgent" for him to regain fitness for the opener.
Contingency Plans
Should Cummins not be fit, ex-skipper Smith will take over the captaincy.
The talented all-rounder was excluded lately from Australia's squad for their ODI contests against the subcontinent side as a precautionary measure because of soreness in his side.
Bailey described it as a "slight concern and confirmed that he'll feature in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "well-prepared to be ready to bowl."
"We put so much time has gone into developing the strategy for him to participate for the opening match as an dual-role player," he elaborated.
"He was only going to play the starting games anyway. His aggressive style the bat in limited-overs, should it hinder progress for 24 more hours, we opted to approach this more conservatively."
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The Historic Rivalry
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