The pace bowler has secured 309 wickets in 71 appearances with an impressive average.
Australia's selection chief Bailey has declared that skipper Cummins will be a central figure in this winter's Ashes series.
Speculation had been growing that Cummins might miss the series due to a ongoing back issue that had not yet healed.
Previous updates from the squad suggested no definitive call had been made regarding whether he would play, with the extended contest kicking off on November 21 in the WACA.
Bailey expressed that the captain is progressing and remained hopeful about the likelihood of taking part.
"We're aware that the clock is ticking and there are permutations at play, not just the back issue, but additional elements," the selector added.
"It's positive. We firmly believe that he will feature a key capacity. Ideally starting in Perth. If not, then we'll pick it up."
Injury History
The captain missed Australia's limited-overs series against India and New Zealand in the previous weeks after scans revealed a lower back issue.
He has a history of recurring issues, with setbacks in several earlier campaigns leading to absences from three Australian summers in four years.
The bowler mentioned he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his comeback strategy to secure his spot for the contest.
The selector indicated that he did not know if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his recovery but conceded it was "getting tight" for him to regain fitness for the first Test.
Backup Options
In case of absence, ex-skipper Smith will take over the captaincy.
The talented all-rounder was recently pulled out from Australia's squad for their one-day international series against the subcontinent side as a preventive step because of discomfort in his torso.
The selector characterized it as a "minor" injury and stated that he'll feature in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "well-prepared to be ready to bowl."
"We put so much time has gone into creating the schedule for him to take part for the first Test as an batting and bowling option," Bailey explained.
"Originally, he'd only feature in the initial matches regardless. The way he swings the willow in shorter formats, if it causes any delay for a short period, the choice was made to approach this more conservatively."
Series Schedule
The Historic Rivalry
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
