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Australia's chair of selectors the selector has declared that captain Pat Cummins will play a "major part" in this winter's England-Australia contest.

There were concerns that Cummins might be unavailable due to a ongoing back issue that remained unresolved.

Previous updates from the Australian camp suggested no definitive call had been made regarding whether he would play, with the Test matches scheduled to begin on the 21st of November in the WACA.

Bailey expressed that the captain is progressing and felt positive about the likelihood of participating.

"It's clear that the clock is ticking and multiple considerations at play, not just his injury, but further aspects," Bailey remarked.

"It's positive. We firmly believe that he's going to play a major part. With luck starting in Perth. Otherwise, then we'll pick it up."

Injury History

Cummins was ruled out the ODI and T20 games against India and New Zealand in the previous weeks after medical tests showed a stress reaction in his back.

There is a track record of back injuries, with flare-ups in multiple past seasons causing him to miss several home seasons in four years.

He emphasized he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his recovery plan to secure his spot for the contest.

Bailey noted that there was no confirmation if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his comeback but acknowledged it was "pressing" for him to recover fully for the opener.

Contingency Plans

If he's unavailable, former captain Steve Smith will lead the side.

The talented all-rounder was withdrawn recently from Australia's squad for their ODI contests against the Asian giants as a precautionary measure because of soreness in his side.

Bailey described it as a "small issue and mentioned that he'll feature in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "ideally positioned to deliver overs."

"Extensive planning has gone into creating the schedule for him to take part for the first Test as an dual-role player," he elaborated.

"His involvement was limited to the first two ODIs regardless. His aggressive style the bat in limited-overs, should it hinder progress for another day, the choice was made to approach this more conservatively."

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