The pace bowler has taken 309 wickets in 71 five-day games with an impressive average.
The Australian selection chief George Bailey has confirmed that skipper Cummins will play a "major part" in the forthcoming England-Australia contest.
Rumors had circulated that Cummins might be unavailable due to a ongoing back issue that had not yet healed.
Previous updates from the squad suggested no definitive call had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the Test matches kicking off on November 21 in the WACA.
The selector shared that Cummins is "building up" and was "optimistic" about his chances of taking part.
"We know that the clock is ticking and there are permutations at play, not only the physical problem, but additional elements," the selector added.
"We're encouraged. There's strong faith that he will feature a key capacity. Ideally starting in Perth. If not, then we'll pick it up."
Previous Setbacks
Cummins was ruled out the ODI and T20 games against New Zealand and India recently after scans revealed a stress reaction in his back.
He has a history of spinal problems, with setbacks in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 causing him to miss three Australian summers in a limited period.
The bowler mentioned he would be bold in recovery efforts in his recovery plan to make the squad for the contest.
The selector indicated that it was unclear if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his rehabilitation but conceded it was "getting tight" for him to be fit for the opener.
Contingency Plans
If he's unavailable, veteran batsman Smith will take over the captaincy.
The talented all-rounder was recently pulled out from the ODI lineup for their one-day international series against the Asian giants as a safety move because of soreness in his side.
The selector characterized it as a "slight concern and mentioned that he's scheduled to appear in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "ideally positioned to be ready to bowl."
"We put so much time has gone into creating the schedule for him to participate for the initial game as an all-rounder," he elaborated.
"Originally, he'd only feature in the first two ODIs anyway. His aggressive style the willow in shorter formats, if it causes any delay for another day, we opted to adopt a safer strategy."
Match Calendar
The Historic Rivalry
From November 21, 2025 to January 7, 2026
