The pace bowler has taken 309 wickets in 71 appearances with an stellar bowling average.
The Australian selection chief the selector has confirmed that pace spearhead Cummins will play a "major part" in the upcoming historic rivalry.
There were concerns that the veteran bowler might miss the series due to a persistent back stress problem that was still troubling him.
Previous updates from the squad suggested no official announcement had been made regarding whether he would play, with the five-Test series kicking off on November 21 in Western Australia.
Bailey expressed that his recovery is on track and was "optimistic" about the likelihood of being involved.
"We know that the clock is ticking and multiple considerations around that, not only his injury, but additional elements," the selector added.
"It's positive. [We are] really confident that he will feature a key capacity. Ideally from the opening match. Should that not happen, we'll reassess."
Past Concerns
He was sidelined the ODI and T20 games against New Zealand and India recently after scans revealed a stress reaction in his back.
He has a history of back injuries, with setbacks in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 leading to absences from three Australian summers in a short span.
He emphasized he would be bold in recovery efforts in his comeback strategy to make the squad for the Ashes.
The selector indicated that it was unclear if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his rehabilitation but conceded it was "becoming urgent" for him to regain fitness for the initial match.
Alternative Arrangements
In case of absence, veteran batsman Smith will assume leadership.
The talented all-rounder was recently pulled out from the national team for their one-day international series against the subcontinent side as a preventive step because of soreness in his side.
Bailey described it as a "minor" injury and confirmed that he's scheduled to appear in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "in a good place to be ready to bowl."
"Considerable effort has gone into building out the plan for him to be available for the first Test as an dual-role player," the selector detailed.
"He was only going to play the first two ODIs anyway. The way he swings the bat in limited-overs, if it causes any delay for another day, we just made the decision to adopt a safer strategy."
Series Schedule
Australia vs England: The Ashes
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
