The Australian skipper has secured 309 wickets in 71 appearances with an impressive average.
Australia's chair of selectors Bailey has declared that skipper Cummins will play a "major part" in this winter's England-Australia contest.
There were concerns that the veteran bowler might miss the series due to a stress fracture in his back that was still troubling him.
Previous updates from the squad suggested no official announcement had been made regarding his involvement, with the extended contest kicking off on November 21 in Perth.
Bailey expressed that the captain is progressing and was "optimistic" about the likelihood of participating.
"We know that the clock is ticking and multiple considerations around that, not only the physical problem, but further aspects," Bailey remarked.
"It's positive. [We are] really confident that he will feature a key capacity. Hopefully it's the first Test. If not, we'll reassess."
Previous Setbacks
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 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 causing him to miss multiple domestic campaigns in a short span.
The bowler mentioned he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his comeback strategy to make the squad for the series.
Bailey noted that there was no confirmation if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his comeback but acknowledged it was "pressing" for him to regain fitness for the opener.
Backup Options
If he's unavailable, former captain Steve Smith will take over the captaincy.
The talented all-rounder was withdrawn recently from the ODI lineup for their ODI contests against India as a preventive step because of an abdominal issue.
Bailey described it as a "minor" injury and mentioned 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 creating the schedule for him to take part for the opening match as an all-rounder," Bailey explained.
"Originally, he'd only feature in the first two ODIs in any case. His aggressive style the willow in shorter formats, even if it just sets him back for a short period, we just made the decision to adopt a safer strategy."
Match Calendar
The Ashes: Australia v England
From November 21, 2025 to January 7, 2026
