The pace bowler has secured 309 wickets in 71 Test matches with an impressive average.
Australia's selection chief the selector has declared that captain Pat Cummins will play a "major part" in the forthcoming Ashes series.
Speculation had been growing that Cummins might sit out due to a stress fracture in his back that was still troubling him.
Earlier indications from the squad suggested no definitive call had been made regarding whether he would play, with the Test matches scheduled to begin on 21 November in Western Australia.
Bailey expressed that his recovery is on track and was "optimistic" about the prospects of taking part.
"We're aware that time is getting short and multiple considerations around that, aside from the physical problem, but further aspects," Bailey remarked.
"We're encouraged. We firmly believe that he will feature a key capacity. Ideally it's the first Test. If not, we'll reassess."
Injury History
Cummins was ruled out the ODI and T20 games against both Asian and Trans-Tasman rivals last month after medical tests showed a lumbar bone stress.
Previous incidents include of recurring issues, with setbacks in multiple past seasons forcing him out of several home seasons in four years.
He emphasized he would be proactive in his approach in his comeback strategy to make the squad for the series.
The selector indicated that it was unclear if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his rehabilitation but admitted it was "becoming urgent" for him to recover fully for the initial match.
Backup Options
If he's unavailable, ex-skipper Smith will take over the captaincy.
The talented all-rounder was recently pulled out from the ODI lineup for their one-day international series against India as a precautionary measure because of soreness in his side.
Bailey described it as a "minor" injury and mentioned that Green will play in the state-level matches, so will be "in a good place to be ready to bowl."
"Considerable effort has gone into creating the schedule for him to participate for the initial game as an all-rounder," the selector detailed.
"His involvement was limited to the initial matches regardless. The way he swings the willow in shorter formats, if it causes any delay for another day, we just made the decision to adopt a safer strategy."
Series Schedule
The Historic Rivalry
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
