🔗 Share this article Pat Cummins Set to Play a Major Role in Ashes Series The Australian skipper has claimed 309 wickets in 71 appearances with an impressive average. Australia's chief selector George Bailey has confirmed that skipper Cummins will play a "major part" in the forthcoming England-Australia contest. Speculation had been growing that Cummins might miss the series due to a persistent back stress problem that remained unresolved. Previous updates from team management suggested no official announcement had been made regarding whether he would play, with the five-Test series scheduled to begin on the 21st of November in the WACA. He revealed that Cummins is "building up" and was "optimistic" about the likelihood of being involved. "We're aware that the window is narrowing and various factors involved, not only the physical problem, but further aspects," he commented. "We're encouraged. [We are] really confident that he'll participate in a key capacity. Hopefully starting in Perth. If not, we'll reassess." Injury History Cummins was ruled out the ODI and T20 games against India and New Zealand last month after medical tests showed a stress reaction in his back. There is a track record of recurring issues, with recurrences in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 causing him to miss several home seasons in a limited period. He emphasized he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his comeback strategy to make the squad for the contest. He mentioned that he did not know if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his comeback but conceded it was "pressing" for him to regain fitness for the opener. Contingency Plans In case of absence, veteran batsman Smith will take over the captaincy. All-rounder Cameron Green was excluded lately from Australia's squad for their one-day international series against India as a safety move because of an abdominal issue. The selector characterized it as a "small issue and stated that he'll feature in the state-level matches, so will be "ideally positioned to deliver overs." "Considerable effort has gone into developing the strategy for him to be available for the initial game as an all-rounder," Bailey explained. "Originally, he'd only feature in the initial matches anyway. His aggressive style the bat in limited-overs, if it causes any delay for a short period, we opted to take a cautious route." Series Schedule Australia vs England: The Ashes 21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026