The pace bowler has secured 309 wickets in 71 five-day games with an impressive average.
The Australian chief selector Bailey has confirmed that captain Pat Cummins will have a crucial role in the forthcoming historic rivalry.
Rumors had circulated that the 32-year-old might miss the series due to a persistent back stress problem that remained unresolved.
Initial reports from team management suggested no official announcement had been made regarding whether he would play, with the five-Test series kicking off on the 21st of November in Perth.
Bailey expressed that his recovery is on track and remained hopeful about the prospects of participating.
"It's clear that time is getting short and various factors around that, not just the back issue, but additional elements," Bailey remarked.
"We're encouraged. There's strong faith that he will feature a key capacity. Ideally starting in Perth. Should that not happen, then we'll pick it up."
Previous Setbacks
He was sidelined the white-ball matches against New Zealand and India in the previous weeks after medical tests showed a stress reaction in his back.
There is a track record of recurring issues, with recurrences in multiple past seasons leading to absences from several home seasons in a limited period.
The bowler mentioned he would be bold in recovery efforts in his comeback strategy to ensure his availability for the series.
Bailey noted that he did not know if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his comeback but conceded it was "getting tight" for him to regain fitness for the first Test.
Backup Options
Should Cummins not be fit, ex-skipper Smith will take over the captaincy.
The talented all-rounder was recently pulled out from the national team for their limited-overs matches against the subcontinent side as a safety move because of soreness in his side.
The selector characterized it as a "minor" injury and mentioned that he's scheduled to appear in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "ideally positioned to deliver overs."
"Extensive planning has gone into building out the plan for him to be available for the initial game as an batting and bowling option," Bailey explained.
"He was only going to play the initial matches anyway. His aggressive style the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, should it hinder progress for 24 more hours, we just made the decision to adopt a safer strategy."
Fixture Details
Australia vs England: The Ashes
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
