Pat Cummins has secured 309 Test scalps in 71 Test matches with an average of 22.10.
Australia's selection chief George Bailey has confirmed that skipper Cummins will be a central figure in the upcoming England-Australia contest.
Rumors had circulated that the veteran bowler might be unavailable due to a ongoing back issue that remained unresolved.
Previous updates from team management suggested no final decision had been made regarding his involvement, with the five-Test series kicking off on November 21 in the WACA.
Bailey expressed that his recovery is on track and remained hopeful about the prospects of taking part.
"It's clear that the clock is ticking and various factors around that, not only the physical problem, but further aspects," the selector added.
"The outlook is good. [We are] really confident that he'll participate in a major part. Hopefully it's the first Test. Otherwise, we'll reassess."
Previous Setbacks
Cummins was ruled out the ODI and T20 games against India and New Zealand in the previous weeks after examinations confirmed a lower back issue.
There is a track record of recurring issues, with setbacks in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 causing him to miss three Australian summers in a limited period.
Cummins stated he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his rehabilitation process to ensure his availability for the contest.
He mentioned that he did not know if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his comeback but acknowledged it was "becoming urgent" for him to regain fitness for the initial match.
Backup Options
Should Cummins not be fit, veteran batsman Smith will take over the captaincy.
The talented all-rounder was excluded lately from the national team for their ODI contests against the subcontinent side as a safety move because of an abdominal issue.
The selector characterized it as a "minor" injury and confirmed that Green will play in the state-level matches, so will be "in a good place to be ready to bowl."
"Extensive planning has gone into creating the schedule for him to be available for the first Test as an dual-role player," the selector detailed.
"His involvement was limited to the first two ODIs regardless. How he handles the willow in shorter formats, if it causes any delay for 24 more hours, we just made the decision to adopt a safer strategy."
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