Pat Cummins has secured 309 wickets in 71 five-day games with an impressive average.
The Australian selection chief George Bailey has confirmed that pace spearhead Cummins will be a central figure in the upcoming historic rivalry.
Rumors had circulated that the 32-year-old might sit out due to a stress fracture in his back that had not yet healed.
Previous updates from the Australian camp suggested no definitive call had been made regarding whether he would play, with the extended contest kicking off on November 21 in the WACA.
He revealed that Cummins is "building up" and felt positive about the prospects of being involved.
"We know that time is getting short and there are permutations around that, aside from the physical problem, but additional elements," he commented.
"We're encouraged. We firmly believe that he will feature a significant role. Hopefully from the opening match. Otherwise, we'll reassess."
Injury History
The captain missed the ODI and T20 games against India and New Zealand recently after scans revealed a lumbar bone stress.
He has a history of back injuries, with recurrences in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 leading to absences from three Australian summers in a short span.
The bowler mentioned he would be bold in recovery efforts in his comeback strategy to secure his spot for the series.
The selector indicated that it was unclear if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his comeback but acknowledged it was "getting tight" for him to recover fully for the first Test.
Contingency Plans
If he's unavailable, veteran batsman Smith will lead the side.
The talented all-rounder was withdrawn recently from the national team for their ODI contests against the subcontinent side as a safety move because of an abdominal issue.
He labeled it as a "slight concern and stated that he's scheduled to appear in the state-level matches, so will be "in a good place to be ready to bowl."
"Extensive planning has gone into building out the plan for him to participate for the first Test as an dual-role player," the selector detailed.
"His involvement was limited to the starting games in any case. How he handles the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, if it causes any delay for 24 more hours, the choice was made to adopt a safer strategy."
Series Schedule
The Historic Rivalry
From November 21, 2025 to January 7, 2026
