The pace bowler has secured 309 wickets in 71 appearances with an stellar bowling average.
Australia's chief selector George Bailey has confirmed that pace spearhead Cummins will be a central figure in the forthcoming Ashes series.
Speculation had been growing 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 definitive call had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the extended contest scheduled to begin on November 21 in the WACA.
Bailey expressed that Cummins is "building up" and remained hopeful about his chances of being involved.
"It's clear that time is getting short and there are permutations involved, not just the back issue, but further aspects," the selector added.
"The outlook is good. [We are] really confident that he'll participate in a major part. Ideally it's the first Test. Should that not happen, we'll reassess."
Past Concerns
He was sidelined the white-ball matches against New Zealand and India last month after scans revealed a stress reaction in his back.
There is a track record of back injuries, with setbacks in several earlier campaigns forcing him out of three Australian summers in four years.
He emphasized he would be bold in recovery efforts in his comeback strategy to secure his spot for the Ashes.
He mentioned 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 recover fully for the opener.
Contingency Plans
In case of absence, veteran batsman Smith will assume leadership.
Versatile player Green was excluded lately from the national team for their ODI contests 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 state-level matches, so will be "ideally positioned to resume bowling."
"Extensive planning has gone into developing the strategy for him to be available for the opening match as an all-rounder," Bailey explained.
"His involvement was limited to the first two ODIs in any case. The way he swings the bat in limited-overs, should it hinder progress for a short period, the choice was made to approach this more conservatively."
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The Historic Rivalry
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