Pat Cummins has claimed over 300 dismissals in 71 appearances with an impressive average.
Australia's chief selector George Bailey has stated that pace spearhead Cummins will be a central figure in this winter's historic rivalry.
Speculation had been growing that Cummins might miss the series due to a stress fracture in his back that had not yet healed.
Previous updates from team management suggested no final decision had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the extended contest set to start on 21 November in Western Australia.
Bailey expressed that the captain is progressing and remained hopeful about his chances of participating.
"We know that time is getting short and various factors around that, aside from his injury, but other factors as well," he commented.
"The outlook is good. We firmly believe that he's going to play a significant role. Hopefully it's the first Test. If not, we'll reassess."
Injury History
Cummins was ruled out Australia's limited-overs series against New Zealand and India last month after scans revealed a lower back issue.
Previous incidents include of back injuries, with flare-ups in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 forcing him out of three Australian summers in a short span.
Cummins stated he would be bold in recovery efforts in his rehabilitation process to make the squad for the contest.
The selector indicated that there was no confirmation if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his recovery but conceded it was "pressing" for him to recover fully for the opener.
Contingency Plans
In case of absence, ex-skipper Smith will assume leadership.
All-rounder Cameron Green was excluded lately from the ODI lineup for their ODI contests against the Asian giants as a preventive step because of discomfort in his torso.
The selector characterized it as a "slight concern and stated that he'll feature in the state-level matches, so will be "in a good place to deliver overs."
"We put so much time has gone into building out the plan for him to be available for the initial game as an dual-role player," Bailey explained.
"Originally, he'd only feature in the first two ODIs in any case. His aggressive style the bat in limited-overs, even if it just sets him back for 24 more hours, we just made the decision to take a cautious route."
Fixture Details
The Historic Rivalry
From November 21, 2025 to January 7, 2026
