The pace bowler has taken 309 wickets in 71 appearances with an average of 22.10.
The Australian chief selector George Bailey has stated that captain Pat Cummins will have a crucial role in the upcoming historic rivalry.
Rumors had circulated that the veteran bowler might be unavailable due to a ongoing back issue that remained unresolved.
Earlier indications from the Australian camp suggested no final decision had been made regarding his involvement, with the Test matches set to start on the 21st of November in the WACA.
The selector shared that the captain is progressing and remained hopeful about his chances of participating.
"It's clear that the window is narrowing and various factors around that, not only the physical problem, but additional elements," Bailey remarked.
"It's positive. There's strong faith that he'll participate in a significant role. Ideally it's the first Test. Otherwise, we'll adjust."
Past Concerns
The captain missed the ODI and T20 games against New Zealand and India in the previous weeks after scans revealed a lumbar bone stress.
There is a track record of back injuries, with setbacks in several earlier campaigns causing him to miss multiple domestic campaigns in a short span.
Cummins stated he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his recovery plan to secure his spot for the Ashes.
The selector indicated that it was unclear if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his comeback but conceded it was "getting tight" for him to regain fitness for the opener.
Alternative Arrangements
If he's unavailable, former captain Steve Smith will take over the captaincy.
All-rounder Cameron Green was recently pulled out from the ODI lineup for their ODI contests against the Asian giants as a safety move because of soreness in his side.
He labeled it as a "small issue and mentioned that he'll feature in the state-level matches, so will be "ideally positioned to resume bowling."
"Extensive planning has gone into building out the plan for him to be available for the opening match as an all-rounder," the selector detailed.
"His involvement was limited to the starting games in any case. How he handles the bat in limited-overs, should it hinder progress for another day, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively."
Match Calendar
The Ashes: Australia v England
21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026
