Pat Cummins has taken 309 Test scalps in 71 appearances with an average of 22.10.
Australia's chair of selectors Bailey has declared that pace spearhead Cummins will be a central figure in this winter's England-Australia contest.
Speculation had been growing that the veteran bowler might sit out due to a ongoing back issue that was still troubling him.
Previous updates from team management suggested no final decision had been made regarding his involvement, with the five-Test series scheduled to begin on November 21 in Western Australia.
Bailey expressed that Cummins is "building up" and remained hopeful about the likelihood of being involved.
"We know that the window is narrowing and various factors around that, aside from his injury, but other factors as well," Bailey remarked.
"The outlook is good. [We are] really confident that he'll participate in a significant role. Ideally from the opening match. Should that not happen, we'll reassess."
Previous Setbacks
The captain missed the white-ball matches against New Zealand and India in the previous weeks after examinations confirmed a lumbar bone stress.
He has a history of spinal problems, with flare-ups in several earlier campaigns forcing him out of multiple domestic campaigns in four years.
Cummins stated he would be bold in recovery efforts in his rehabilitation process to secure his spot for the Ashes.
The selector indicated that he did not know if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his recovery but acknowledged it was "pressing" for him to be fit for the opener.
Contingency Plans
If he's unavailable, former captain Steve Smith will take over the captaincy.
The talented all-rounder was recently pulled out from the national team for their one-day international series against the Asian giants as a preventive step because of soreness in his side.
He labeled it as a "minor" injury and mentioned that he's scheduled to appear in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "in a good place to deliver overs."
"We put so much time has gone into developing the strategy for him to take part for the opening match as an batting and bowling option," he elaborated.
"His involvement was limited to the starting games anyway. The way he swings the willow in shorter formats, if it causes any delay for another day, the choice was made to take a cautious route."
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