The Australian skipper has secured 309 wickets in 71 Test matches with an impressive average.
Australia's selection chief George Bailey has stated that skipper Cummins will be a central figure in the upcoming historic rivalry.
There were concerns that the veteran bowler might be unavailable due to a stress fracture in his back that was still troubling him.
Previous updates from the squad suggested no official announcement had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the Test matches kicking off on 21 November in Perth.
Bailey expressed that the captain is progressing and remained hopeful about the prospects of being involved.
"We're aware that the clock is ticking and multiple considerations involved, aside from his injury, but further aspects," the selector added.
"It's positive. There's strong faith that he'll participate in a significant role. With luck starting in Perth. Should that not happen, then we'll pick it up."
Previous Setbacks
The captain missed the ODI and T20 games against New Zealand and India last month after medical tests showed a stress reaction in his back.
Previous incidents include of back injuries, with flare-ups in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 causing him to miss three Australian summers in four years.
Cummins stated he would be proactive in his approach in his recovery plan to secure his spot for the Ashes.
He mentioned that it was unclear if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his comeback but conceded it was "pressing" for him to regain fitness for the initial match.
Alternative Arrangements
In case of absence, veteran batsman Smith will assume leadership.
All-rounder Cameron Green was withdrawn recently from Australia's squad for their one-day international series against the Asian giants as a preventive step because of soreness in his side.
The selector characterized it as a "small issue and stated that he's scheduled to appear in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "well-prepared to deliver overs."
"Considerable effort has gone into developing the strategy for him to take part for the first Test as an all-rounder," the selector detailed.
"Originally, he'd only feature in the first two ODIs anyway. How he handles the bat in limited-overs, if it causes any delay for 24 more hours, we opted to adopt a safer strategy."
Match Calendar
Australia vs England: The Ashes
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026