The pace bowler has taken 309 wickets in 71 five-day games with an stellar bowling average.
The Australian chair of selectors the selector has stated that captain Pat Cummins will play a "major part" in the forthcoming historic rivalry.
Rumors had circulated that the veteran bowler might be unavailable due to a stress fracture in his back that remained unresolved.
Earlier indications from the Australian camp suggested no official announcement had been made regarding whether he would play, with the Test matches scheduled to begin on the 21st of November in the WACA.
The selector shared that his recovery is on track and felt positive about the prospects of being involved.
"We know that the clock is ticking and there are permutations at play, not just his injury, but additional elements," he commented.
"We're encouraged. There's strong faith that he will feature a major part. With luck starting in Perth. If not, we'll reassess."
Previous Setbacks
He was sidelined the white-ball matches against India and New Zealand in the previous weeks after medical tests showed a lumbar bone stress.
He has a history of back injuries, with setbacks in multiple past seasons causing him to miss multiple domestic campaigns in four years.
Cummins stated he would be bold in recovery efforts in his comeback strategy to secure his spot for the series.
He mentioned that it was unclear if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his comeback but acknowledged it was "getting tight" for him to recover fully for the opener.
Contingency Plans
Should Cummins not be fit, veteran batsman Smith will take over the captaincy.
All-rounder Cameron Green was recently pulled out from Australia's squad for their limited-overs matches against the subcontinent side as a preventive step because of discomfort in his torso.
The selector characterized it as a "minor" injury and confirmed that he'll feature in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "well-prepared to be ready to bowl."
"Extensive planning has gone into creating the schedule for him to take part for the opening match as an batting and bowling option," the selector detailed.
"Originally, he'd only feature in the initial matches anyway. How he handles the willow in shorter formats, if it causes any delay for 24 more hours, the choice was made to adopt a safer strategy."
Match Calendar
The Ashes: Australia v England
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
