Pat Cummins Set to Play a Major Role in the Ashes
Pat Cummins has taken over 300 dismissals in 71 five-day games with an stellar bowling average.
The Australian selection chief the selector has confirmed that captain Pat Cummins will have a crucial role in the upcoming Ashes series.
There were concerns that Cummins might miss the series due to a stress fracture in his back that remained unresolved.
Previous updates from the Australian camp suggested no final decision had been made regarding whether he would play, with the Test matches scheduled to begin on 21 November in Western Australia.
He revealed that the captain is progressing and remained hopeful about the likelihood of participating.
"We know that the clock is ticking and multiple considerations involved, not only the back issue, but further aspects," Bailey remarked.
"It's positive. We firmly believe that he's going to play a major part. With luck from the opening match. Otherwise, then we'll pick it up."
Injury History
He was sidelined the white-ball matches against India and New Zealand last month after scans revealed a lower back issue.
He has a history of recurring issues, with flare-ups in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 forcing him out of several home seasons in a limited period.
Cummins stated he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his comeback strategy to secure his spot for the contest.
Bailey noted that it was unclear if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his recovery but conceded it was "getting tight" for him to recover fully for the first Test.
Backup Options
If he's unavailable, ex-skipper Smith will take over the captaincy.
The talented all-rounder was excluded lately from the national team for their ODI contests against India as a precautionary measure because of an abdominal issue.
Bailey described it as a "small issue and stated that he's scheduled to appear in the state-level matches, so will be "well-prepared to resume bowling."
"Extensive planning has gone into developing the strategy for him to take part for the first Test as an dual-role player," he elaborated.
"He was only going to play the first two ODIs anyway. How he handles the bat in limited-overs, if it causes any delay for a short period, the choice was made to approach this more conservatively."
Fixture Details
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