The Australian skipper has taken 309 Test scalps in 71 appearances with an average of 22.10.
Australia's chief selector George Bailey has confirmed that skipper Cummins will be a central figure in the upcoming historic rivalry.
Speculation had been growing that Cummins might sit out due to a persistent back stress problem that was still troubling him.
Initial reports from the squad suggested no official announcement had been made regarding his involvement, with the five-Test series kicking off on 21 November in the WACA.
He revealed that the captain is progressing and remained hopeful about the prospects of taking part.
"We know that the window is narrowing and multiple considerations around that, not just his injury, but additional elements," Bailey remarked.
"We're encouraged. [We are] really confident that he will feature a major part. With luck it's the first Test. Otherwise, we'll reassess."
Past Concerns
Cummins was ruled out the white-ball matches against India and New Zealand last month after scans revealed a stress reaction in his back.
There is a track record of back injuries, with setbacks in multiple past seasons causing him to miss multiple domestic campaigns in four years.
He emphasized he would be bold in recovery efforts in his recovery plan to make the squad for the contest.
The selector indicated that there was no confirmation if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his recovery but conceded it was "getting tight" for him to regain fitness for the opener.
Alternative Arrangements
If he's unavailable, veteran batsman Smith will take over the captaincy.
All-rounder Cameron Green was withdrawn recently from the national team for their ODI contests against the Asian giants as a preventive step because of discomfort in his torso.
He labeled it as a "minor" injury and stated that he's scheduled to appear in the state-level matches, so will be "ideally positioned to deliver overs."
"Extensive planning has gone into building out the plan for him to take part for the opening match as an batting and bowling option," Bailey explained.
"His involvement was limited to the starting games regardless. His aggressive style the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, if it causes any delay for another day, we just made the decision to adopt a safer strategy."
Match Calendar
The Historic Rivalry
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
