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Australia's chair of selectors George Bailey has confirmed that skipper Cummins will be a central figure in the forthcoming historic rivalry.

There were concerns that the veteran bowler might be unavailable due to a ongoing back issue that remained unresolved.

Initial reports from the Australian camp suggested no definitive call had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the Test matches set to start on 21 November in Western Australia.

He revealed that his recovery is on track and remained hopeful about the prospects of participating.

"It's clear that the window is narrowing and multiple considerations around that, not just the physical problem, but additional elements," Bailey remarked.

"It's positive. There's strong faith that he will feature a significant role. Ideally starting in Perth. If not, then we'll pick it up."

Injury History

He was sidelined the white-ball matches against both Asian and Trans-Tasman rivals last month after medical tests showed a lower back issue.

There is a track record of recurring issues, with recurrences in multiple past seasons leading to absences from multiple domestic campaigns in four years.

Cummins stated he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his comeback strategy to make the squad for the contest.

Bailey noted that he did not know if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his recovery but conceded it was "getting tight" for him to recover fully for the opener.

Alternative Arrangements

In case of absence, veteran batsman Smith will assume leadership.

Versatile player Green was recently pulled out from the national team for their ODI contests against the subcontinent side as a preventive step because of discomfort in his torso.

The selector characterized it as a "small issue and stated that Green will play in the state-level matches, so will be "ideally positioned to be ready to bowl."

"We put so much time has gone into developing the strategy for him to be available for the opening match as an all-rounder," he elaborated.

"He was only going to play the first two ODIs in any case. His aggressive style the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, if it causes any delay for another day, the choice was made to take a cautious route."

Match Calendar

The Historic Rivalry

21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026