Pat Cummins has secured 309 wickets in 71 five-day games with an average of 22.10.
The Australian selection chief George Bailey has confirmed that captain Pat Cummins will be a central figure in the forthcoming England-Australia contest.
Speculation had been growing that Cummins might be unavailable due to a stress fracture in his back that remained unresolved.
Initial reports from the Australian camp suggested no definitive call had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the Test matches kicking off on 21 November in Western Australia.
He revealed that the captain is progressing and was "optimistic" about his chances of being involved.
"It's clear that time is getting short and there are permutations involved, not just the physical problem, but further aspects," Bailey remarked.
"The outlook is good. There's strong faith that he'll participate in a significant role. With luck starting in Perth. If not, then we'll pick it up."
Past Concerns
He was sidelined the white-ball matches against New Zealand and India last month after scans revealed a lumbar bone stress.
Previous incidents include of spinal problems, with recurrences in several earlier campaigns causing him to miss several home seasons in a short span.
He emphasized he would be bold in recovery efforts in his recovery plan to make the squad for the contest.
He mentioned that there was no confirmation if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his comeback but acknowledged it was "getting tight" for him to regain fitness for the first Test.
Contingency Plans
Should Cummins not be fit, ex-skipper Smith will take over the captaincy.
The talented all-rounder was withdrawn recently from the ODI lineup for their ODI contests against the Asian giants as a safety move because of an abdominal issue.
Bailey described it as a "slight concern and mentioned that he'll feature in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "ideally positioned to deliver overs."
"We put so much time has gone into developing the strategy for him to participate for the first Test as an batting and bowling option," he elaborated.
"Originally, he'd only feature in the starting games in any case. How he handles the willow in shorter formats, should it hinder progress for another day, the choice was made to adopt a safer strategy."
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