🔗 Share this article Pat Cummins Set to Play a Significant Contribution in Iconic Rivalry The pace bowler has taken 309 wickets in 71 appearances with an stellar bowling average. The Australian chief selector the selector has declared that skipper Cummins will play a "major part" in this winter's Ashes series. There were concerns that Cummins might miss the series due to a stress fracture in his back that was still troubling him. Initial reports from the squad suggested no final decision had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the five-Test series set to start on the 21st of November in Western Australia. He revealed that Cummins is "building up" and remained hopeful about the likelihood of taking part. "We know that time is getting short and there are permutations around that, not only the physical problem, but additional elements," Bailey remarked. "It's positive. There's strong faith that he will feature a significant role. Ideally from the opening match. Should that not happen, we'll adjust." Previous Setbacks The captain missed the ODI and T20 games against India and New Zealand in the previous weeks after scans revealed a stress reaction in his back. There is a track record of spinal problems, with recurrences in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 causing him to miss three Australian summers in a short span. Cummins stated he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his comeback strategy to make the squad for the contest. The selector indicated that there was no confirmation if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his recovery but acknowledged it was "becoming urgent" for him to regain fitness for the initial match. Contingency Plans Should Cummins not be fit, ex-skipper Smith will take over the captaincy. Versatile player Green was recently pulled out from the ODI lineup for their one-day international series against the Asian giants as a precautionary measure because of soreness in his side. The selector characterized it as a "slight concern and mentioned that he'll feature in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "ideally positioned to resume bowling." "We put so much time has gone into developing the strategy for him to participate for the initial game as an batting and bowling option," Bailey explained. "Originally, he'd only feature in the initial matches regardless. The way he swings the willow in shorter formats, even if it just sets him back for a short period, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively." Fixture Details The Ashes: Australia v England From November 21, 2025 to January 7, 2026