Pat Cummins has secured over 300 dismissals in 71 appearances with an average of 22.10.
Australia's chair of selectors George Bailey has confirmed that skipper Cummins will play a "major part" in this winter's Ashes series.
Speculation had been growing that the 32-year-old might sit out due to a stress fracture in his back that had not yet healed.
Previous updates from team management suggested no final decision had been made regarding whether he would play, with the Test matches set to start on 21 November in the WACA.
Bailey expressed that Cummins is "building up" and was "optimistic" about the prospects of participating.
"It's clear that the window is narrowing and various factors around that, aside from the physical problem, but other factors as well," the selector added.
"The outlook is good. We firmly believe that he will feature a key capacity. With luck starting in Perth. Should that not happen, we'll adjust."
Previous Setbacks
The captain missed Australia's limited-overs series against both Asian and Trans-Tasman rivals last month after examinations confirmed a lower back issue.
He has a history of recurring issues, with setbacks in several earlier campaigns causing him to miss three Australian summers in a limited period.
Cummins stated he would be proactive in his approach in his rehabilitation process to secure his spot for the Ashes.
He mentioned that there was no confirmation if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his comeback but admitted it was "getting tight" for him to recover fully for the first Test.
Alternative Arrangements
If he's unavailable, ex-skipper Smith will assume leadership.
The talented all-rounder was recently pulled out from the national team for their one-day international series against the subcontinent side as a safety move because of soreness in his side.
He labeled it as a "small issue and confirmed that he's scheduled to appear in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "well-prepared to deliver overs."
"Extensive planning has gone into developing the strategy for him to take part for the initial game as an dual-role player," Bailey explained.
"Originally, he'd only feature in the starting games in any case. His aggressive style the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, even if it just sets him back for a short period, we opted to adopt a safer strategy."
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