The pace bowler has claimed 309 wickets in 71 five-day games with an stellar bowling average.
Australia's chief selector George Bailey has declared that pace spearhead Cummins will be a central figure in this winter's historic rivalry.
Speculation had been growing that the 32-year-old might miss the series due to a ongoing back issue that remained unresolved.
Earlier indications from team management suggested no final decision had been made regarding whether he would play, with the Test matches set to start on 21 November in the WACA.
Bailey expressed that Cummins is "building up" and remained hopeful about the likelihood of participating.
"We're aware that time is getting short and there are permutations involved, not just the back issue, but additional elements," he commented.
"The outlook is good. We firmly believe that he will feature a major part. With luck starting in Perth. Should that not happen, we'll reassess."
Previous Setbacks
He was sidelined Australia's limited-overs series against New Zealand and India recently after examinations confirmed a lower back issue.
There is a track record of recurring issues, with flare-ups in several earlier campaigns causing him to miss multiple domestic campaigns in a short span.
He emphasized he would be bold in recovery efforts in his rehabilitation process to make the squad for the Ashes.
The selector indicated that there was no confirmation if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his rehabilitation but acknowledged it was "getting tight" for him to recover fully for the opener.
Backup Options
If he's unavailable, ex-skipper Smith will lead the side.
All-rounder Cameron Green was excluded lately from the ODI lineup for their ODI contests against the subcontinent side as a precautionary measure because of discomfort in his torso.
The selector characterized it as a "minor" injury and stated that he'll feature in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "in a good place to deliver overs."
"We put so much time has gone into creating the schedule for him to take part for the initial game as an dual-role player," he elaborated.
"Originally, he'd only feature in the initial matches in any case. The way he swings the willow in shorter formats, 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
