The pace bowler has claimed 309 wickets in 71 appearances with an average of 22.10.
The Australian selection chief the selector has declared that captain Pat Cummins will be a central figure in the forthcoming Ashes series.
There were concerns that the veteran bowler might be unavailable due to a stress fracture in his back that had not yet healed.
Previous updates from the Australian camp suggested no official announcement had been made regarding whether he would play, with the five-Test series set to start on the 21st of November in Western Australia.
He revealed that the captain is progressing and felt positive about his chances of being involved.
"We know that the clock is ticking and there are permutations around that, aside from the physical problem, but further aspects," he commented.
"The outlook is good. There's strong faith that he will feature a key capacity. Hopefully it's the first Test. Should that not happen, we'll adjust."
The captain missed the ODI and T20 games against India and New Zealand in the previous weeks after examinations confirmed a stress reaction in his back.
There is a track record of recurring issues, with recurrences in multiple past seasons causing him to miss several home seasons in a short span.
The bowler mentioned he would be bold in recovery efforts in his rehabilitation process to ensure his availability for the series.
Bailey noted that it was unclear if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his recovery but admitted it was "pressing" for him to regain fitness for the first Test.
Should Cummins not be fit, former captain Steve Smith will take over the captaincy.
All-rounder Cameron Green was withdrawn recently from Australia's squad for their limited-overs matches against India as a preventive step because of discomfort in his torso.
The selector characterized it as a "small issue and stated that he's scheduled to appear in the state-level matches, so will be "in a good place to be ready to bowl."
"We put so much time has gone into building out the plan for him to be available for the initial game as an batting and bowling option," Bailey explained.
"His involvement was limited to the first two ODIs in any case. How he handles the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, even if it just sets him back for 24 more hours, we opted to take a cautious route."
The Ashes: Australia v England
From November 21, 2025 to January 7, 2026
Maya Chen is a freelance writer and urban enthusiast with a passion for documenting city life and cultural shifts.
