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Australia's chair of selectors George Bailey has declared that captain Pat Cummins will be a central figure in the upcoming historic rivalry.

Speculation had been growing that Cummins might miss the series due to a stress fracture in his back that was still troubling him.

Earlier indications from the Australian camp suggested no official announcement had been made regarding whether he would play, with the five-Test series scheduled to begin on the 21st of November in Western Australia.

Bailey expressed that Cummins is "building up" and felt positive about the prospects of participating.

"We know that the window is narrowing and various factors around that, aside from the back issue, but further aspects," the selector added.

"It's positive. There's strong faith that he'll participate in a significant role. With luck from the opening match. Otherwise, we'll reassess."

Past Concerns

The captain missed the white-ball matches against both Asian and Trans-Tasman rivals in the previous weeks after examinations confirmed a lower back issue.

He has a history of recurring issues, with flare-ups in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 causing him to miss three Australian summers in a short span.

Cummins stated he would be bold in recovery efforts in his comeback strategy to secure his spot for the contest.

Bailey noted that there was no confirmation if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his comeback but conceded it was "pressing" for him to recover fully for the initial match.

Alternative Arrangements

If he's unavailable, veteran batsman Smith will lead the side.

Versatile player Green was withdrawn recently from Australia's squad for their one-day international series against India as a precautionary measure because of an abdominal issue.

He labeled it as a "small issue and confirmed that he'll feature in the state-level matches, so will be "ideally positioned to be ready to bowl."

"Considerable effort has gone into developing the strategy for him to take part for the opening match as an batting and bowling option," the selector detailed.

"Originally, he'd only feature in the initial matches anyway. How he handles the bat in limited-overs, even if it just sets him back for another day, we just made the decision to take a cautious route."

Fixture Details

The Historic Rivalry

21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026