The pace bowler has secured 309 wickets in 71 five-day games with an impressive average.
The Australian chair of selectors the selector has declared that captain Pat Cummins will play a "major part" in this winter's Ashes series.
Speculation had been growing that the 32-year-old might be unavailable due to a persistent back stress problem that remained unresolved.
Previous updates from the Australian camp suggested no final decision had been made regarding whether he would play, with the extended contest set to start on 21 November in Perth.
The selector shared that the captain is progressing and felt positive about his chances of participating.
"We know that the window is narrowing and there are permutations involved, aside from the back issue, but other factors as well," he commented.
"We're encouraged. There's strong faith that he will feature a major part. With luck starting in Perth. Otherwise, then we'll pick it up."
Previous Setbacks
He was sidelined the white-ball matches against New Zealand and India last month after medical tests showed a lumbar bone stress.
Previous incidents include of spinal problems, with flare-ups in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 leading to absences from multiple domestic campaigns in a limited period.
The bowler mentioned he would be proactive in his approach in his rehabilitation process to make the squad for the Ashes.
The selector indicated that there was no confirmation if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his rehabilitation but acknowledged it was "getting tight" for him to regain fitness for the initial match.
Backup Options
Should Cummins not be fit, former captain Steve Smith will take over the captaincy.
All-rounder Cameron Green was withdrawn recently from the national team for their limited-overs matches against the Asian giants as a safety move because of an abdominal issue.
The selector characterized it as a "slight concern and stated that he's scheduled to appear in the state-level matches, so will be "ideally positioned to be ready to bowl."
"Extensive planning has gone into building out the plan for him to participate for the initial game as an batting and bowling option," the selector detailed.
"He was only going to play the first two ODIs in any case. His aggressive style the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, if it causes any delay for 24 more hours, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively."
Fixture Details
The Ashes: Australia v England
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
