The Australian skipper has claimed 309 Test scalps in 71 five-day games with an impressive average.
The Australian chief selector Bailey has confirmed that captain Pat Cummins will be a central figure in this winter's Ashes series.
There were concerns that the 32-year-old might be unavailable due to a ongoing back issue that had not yet healed.
Previous updates from the Australian camp suggested no final decision had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the extended contest kicking off on 21 November in Perth.
The selector shared that the captain is progressing and remained hopeful about the likelihood of participating.
"We know that the clock is ticking and there are permutations around that, aside from his injury, but other factors as well," he commented.
"It's positive. [We are] really confident that he'll participate in a significant role. Hopefully from the opening match. Should that not happen, then we'll pick it up."
Previous Setbacks
He was sidelined the white-ball matches against New Zealand and India in the previous weeks after examinations confirmed a lower back issue.
He has a history of back injuries, with setbacks in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 causing him to miss three Australian summers in four years.
He emphasized he would be proactive in his approach in his rehabilitation process to make the squad for the contest.
He mentioned that he did not know if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his comeback but conceded it was "getting tight" for him to regain fitness for the opener.
Alternative Arrangements
Should Cummins not be fit, veteran batsman Smith will lead the side.
All-rounder Cameron Green was recently pulled out from the national team for their ODI contests against the Asian giants as a preventive step because of soreness in his side.
He labeled it as a "small issue and stated that he's scheduled to appear in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "in a good place to resume bowling."
"We put so much time has gone into building out the plan for him to participate for the first Test as an batting and bowling option," Bailey explained.
"His involvement was limited to the initial matches anyway. How he handles the willow in shorter formats, even if it just sets him back for a short period, we opted to approach this more conservatively."
Series Schedule
The Ashes: Australia v England
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
