The pace bowler has claimed 309 wickets in 71 appearances with an impressive average.
The Australian selection chief George Bailey has confirmed that captain Pat Cummins will play a "major part" in the upcoming historic rivalry.
There were concerns that Cummins might be unavailable due to a persistent back stress problem that had not yet healed.
Initial reports from team management suggested no definitive call had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the extended contest kicking off on the 21st of November in the WACA.
The selector shared that the captain is progressing and felt positive about his chances of being involved.
"It's clear that the window is narrowing and there are permutations around that, aside from the back issue, but additional elements," Bailey remarked.
"It's positive. We firmly believe that he'll participate in a significant role. Ideally starting in Perth. If not, we'll reassess."
Injury History
He was sidelined the ODI and T20 games against both Asian and Trans-Tasman rivals in the previous weeks after scans revealed a stress reaction in his back.
There is a track record of recurring issues, with flare-ups in several earlier campaigns causing him to miss three Australian summers in a limited period.
He emphasized he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his comeback strategy to secure his spot for the Ashes.
Bailey noted that it was unclear if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his comeback but conceded it was "becoming urgent" for him to recover fully for the first Test.
Contingency Plans
In case of absence, former captain Steve Smith will lead the side.
The talented all-rounder was recently pulled out from the national team for their one-day international series against the Asian giants as a preventive step because of discomfort in his torso.
Bailey described it as a "small issue and confirmed that he's scheduled to appear in the state-level matches, so will be "in a good place to resume bowling."
"Considerable effort has gone into creating the schedule for him to take part for the opening match as an dual-role player," he elaborated.
"He was only going to play the starting games in any case. How he handles the willow in shorter formats, should it hinder progress for a short period, we just made the decision to adopt a safer strategy."
Fixture Details
The Historic Rivalry
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
