Pat Cummins has secured 309 Test scalps in 71 appearances with an impressive average.
Australia's selection chief George Bailey has confirmed that pace spearhead Cummins will play a "major part" in the upcoming England-Australia contest.
There were concerns that the 32-year-old might miss the series due to a ongoing back issue that remained unresolved.
Previous updates from the squad suggested no definitive call had been made regarding his involvement, with the Test matches scheduled to begin on November 21 in Western Australia.
Bailey expressed that Cummins is "building up" and remained hopeful about the prospects of being involved.
"It's clear that time is getting short and various factors involved, aside from his injury, but further aspects," he commented.
"We're encouraged. There's strong faith that he will feature a significant role. With luck it's the first Test. If not, we'll adjust."
Previous Setbacks
The captain missed Australia's limited-overs series against New Zealand and India in the previous weeks after examinations confirmed a lumbar bone stress.
There is a track record of back injuries, with recurrences in multiple past seasons leading to absences from multiple domestic campaigns in a short span.
Cummins stated he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his recovery plan to make the squad for the series.
He mentioned that it was unclear if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his comeback but acknowledged it was "getting tight" for him to recover fully for the first Test.
Alternative Arrangements
In case of absence, former captain Steve Smith will assume leadership.
All-rounder Cameron Green was excluded lately from the national team for their ODI contests against the Asian giants as a precautionary measure because of soreness in his side.
Bailey described it as a "slight concern and confirmed that he'll feature in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "ideally positioned to resume bowling."
"Extensive planning has gone into building out the plan for him to take part for the first Test as an batting and bowling option," Bailey explained.
"He was only going to play the initial matches regardless. His aggressive style the willow in shorter formats, if it causes any delay for another day, the choice was made to approach this more conservatively."
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