The Australian skipper has secured 309 wickets in 71 five-day games with an impressive average.
The Australian chair of selectors the selector has confirmed that captain Pat Cummins will play a "major part" in the forthcoming historic rivalry.
There were concerns that the 32-year-old might be unavailable due to a persistent back stress problem that was still troubling him.
Previous updates from the squad suggested no final decision had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the five-Test series scheduled to begin on 21 November in Perth.
The selector shared that Cummins is "building up" and remained hopeful about the prospects of being involved.
"It's clear that time is getting short and there are permutations involved, aside from the physical problem, but further aspects," Bailey remarked.
"The outlook is good. [We are] really confident that he will feature a key capacity. With luck from the opening match. Otherwise, we'll reassess."
Injury History
Cummins was ruled out the ODI and T20 games against India and New Zealand recently after examinations confirmed a lumbar bone stress.
He has a history of spinal problems, with setbacks in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 leading to absences from several home seasons in four years.
Cummins stated he would be bold in recovery efforts in his recovery plan to make the squad for the series.
Bailey noted that it was unclear if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his rehabilitation but conceded it was "pressing" for him to be fit for the initial match.
Backup Options
Should Cummins not be fit, veteran batsman Smith will assume leadership.
The talented all-rounder was withdrawn recently from the national team for their limited-overs matches against the subcontinent side as a safety move because of an abdominal issue.
He labeled it as a "small issue and stated that he'll feature in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "in a good place to resume bowling."
"Considerable effort has gone into building out the plan for him to be available for the first Test as an dual-role player," he elaborated.
"He was only going to play the starting games in any case. His aggressive style the willow in shorter formats, even if it just sets him back for a short period, the choice was made to take a cautious route."
Series Schedule
The Ashes: Australia v England
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
