The Australian skipper has secured 309 Test scalps in 71 Test matches with an average of 22.10.
Australia's selection chief George Bailey has stated that captain Pat Cummins will play a "major part" in the upcoming England-Australia contest.
There were concerns that Cummins might sit out due to a stress fracture in his back that was still troubling him.
Earlier indications from the squad suggested no official announcement had been made regarding whether he would play, with the five-Test series kicking off on the 21st of November in Perth.
He revealed that Cummins is "building up" and felt positive about the prospects of being involved.
"It's clear that the clock is ticking and there are permutations around that, aside from his injury, but additional elements," Bailey remarked.
"The outlook is good. We firmly believe that he will feature a key capacity. Ideally it's the first Test. If not, we'll adjust."
Past Concerns
Cummins was ruled out the white-ball matches against India and New Zealand in the previous weeks after medical tests showed a lumbar bone stress.
There is a track record of back injuries, with setbacks in several earlier campaigns leading to absences from multiple domestic campaigns in four years.
The bowler mentioned he would be proactive in his approach in his recovery plan to make the squad for the series.
The selector indicated that there was no confirmation if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his rehabilitation but admitted it was "pressing" for him to be fit for the opener.
Backup Options
In case of absence, veteran batsman Smith will take over the captaincy.
All-rounder Cameron Green was excluded lately from the ODI lineup for their ODI contests against India as a preventive step because of discomfort in his torso.
The selector characterized it as a "minor" injury and stated that he's scheduled to appear in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "well-prepared to resume bowling."
"We put so much time has gone into creating the schedule for him to participate for the opening match as an all-rounder," Bailey explained.
"Originally, he'd only feature in the starting games in any case. How he handles the bat in limited-overs, if it causes any delay for another day, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively."
Match Calendar
The Historic Rivalry
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
