The pace bowler has taken 309 Test scalps in 71 appearances with an average of 22.10.
The Australian 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 the 32-year-old might be unavailable due to a persistent back stress problem that had not yet healed.
Earlier indications from team management suggested no definitive call had been made regarding whether he would play, with the extended contest set to start on 21 November in Western Australia.
The selector shared that the captain is progressing and felt positive about the prospects of being involved.
"We're aware that the clock is ticking and multiple considerations around that, aside from the back issue, but further aspects," Bailey remarked.
"The outlook is good. There's strong faith that he's going to play a key capacity. With luck from the opening match. If not, we'll reassess."
Injury History
Cummins was ruled out the white-ball matches against both Asian and Trans-Tasman rivals last month after scans revealed a lumbar bone stress.
He has a history of spinal problems, with flare-ups in several earlier campaigns forcing him out of several home seasons in a limited period.
The bowler mentioned he would be bold in recovery efforts in his rehabilitation process to make the squad for the series.
Bailey noted that it was unclear if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his recovery but admitted it was "getting tight" for him to recover fully 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 the national team for their ODI contests against the subcontinent side as a preventive step because of an abdominal issue.
He labeled it as a "small issue and stated that he's scheduled to appear in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "ideally positioned to resume bowling."
"We put so much time has gone into building out the plan for him to be available for the opening match as an dual-role player," Bailey explained.
"His involvement was limited to the starting games in any case. His aggressive style the willow in shorter formats, if it causes any delay for 24 more hours, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively."
Match Calendar
The Historic Rivalry
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
