Pat Cummins has secured 309 wickets in 71 five-day games with an stellar bowling average.
The Australian selection chief Bailey has confirmed that skipper Cummins will have a crucial role in the upcoming Ashes series.
Speculation had been growing that the 32-year-old might miss the series due to a stress fracture in his back that was still troubling him.
Initial reports from the Australian camp suggested no definitive call had been made regarding whether he would play, with the five-Test series scheduled to begin on the 21st of November in Perth.
Bailey expressed that the captain is progressing and felt positive about the prospects of being involved.
"It's clear that time is getting short and multiple considerations at play, not just the physical problem, but other factors as well," he commented.
"The outlook is good. We firmly believe that he will feature a major part. Hopefully from the opening match. Otherwise, we'll adjust."
Previous Setbacks
The captain missed the white-ball matches against New Zealand and India last month after examinations confirmed a lumbar bone stress.
Previous incidents include of recurring issues, with recurrences in multiple past seasons forcing him out of multiple domestic campaigns in a limited period.
He emphasized he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his comeback strategy to secure his spot for the series.
He mentioned that he did not know if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his recovery but admitted it was "becoming urgent" for him to recover fully for the first Test.
Alternative Arrangements
In case of absence, ex-skipper Smith will lead the side.
The talented all-rounder was excluded lately from Australia's squad for their one-day international series against the Asian giants as a preventive step because of discomfort in his torso.
Bailey described it as a "minor" injury 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 building out the plan for him to participate for the first Test as an all-rounder," the selector detailed.
"His involvement was limited to the first two ODIs anyway. His aggressive style the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, should it hinder progress for a short period, we opted to approach this more conservatively."
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