The pace bowler has claimed 309 wickets in 71 five-day games with an average of 22.10.
The Australian chair of selectors George Bailey has confirmed that captain Pat Cummins will play a "major part" in the forthcoming historic rivalry.
Rumors had circulated that Cummins might be unavailable due to a ongoing back issue that remained unresolved.
Initial reports from the Australian camp suggested no official announcement had been made regarding whether he would play, with the Test matches set to start on the 21st of November in Western Australia.
He revealed that the captain is progressing and remained hopeful about his chances of taking part.
"We know that the window is narrowing and various factors involved, aside from his injury, but further aspects," Bailey remarked.
"The outlook is good. There's strong faith that he'll participate in a significant role. Ideally starting in Perth. Otherwise, we'll reassess."
Injury History
He was sidelined the white-ball matches against New Zealand and India in the previous weeks after medical tests showed a lumbar bone stress.
He has a history of back injuries, with flare-ups in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 leading to absences from multiple domestic campaigns in four years.
He emphasized he would be bold in recovery efforts in his comeback strategy to secure his spot for the series.
The selector indicated that there was no confirmation if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his comeback but admitted it was "becoming urgent" for him to recover fully for the initial match.
Backup Options
Should Cummins not be fit, veteran batsman Smith will lead the side.
All-rounder Cameron Green was excluded lately from the ODI lineup for their limited-overs matches against the Asian giants as a preventive step because of discomfort in his torso.
Bailey described it as a "slight concern and confirmed that he's scheduled to appear in the state-level matches, so will be "in a good place to deliver overs."
"Considerable effort has gone into creating the schedule for him to take part for the initial game as an batting and bowling option," Bailey explained.
"Originally, he'd only feature in the first two ODIs regardless. His aggressive style the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, even if it just sets him back for a short period, we just made the decision to adopt a safer strategy."
Series Schedule
Australia vs England: The Ashes
From November 21, 2025 to January 7, 2026
