The pace bowler has claimed over 300 dismissals in 71 five-day games with an average of 22.10.
Australia's selection chief Bailey has stated that captain Pat Cummins will have a crucial role in this winter's Ashes series.
Speculation had been growing that the veteran bowler might sit out due to a persistent back stress problem that was still troubling him.
Initial reports from the Australian camp suggested no final decision had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the Test matches scheduled to begin on 21 November in Western Australia.
Bailey expressed that Cummins is "building up" and remained hopeful about the likelihood of participating.
"We know that the clock is ticking and various factors around that, not just the back issue, but additional elements," the selector added.
"We're encouraged. There's strong faith that he's going to play a major part. Hopefully it's the first Test. If not, we'll adjust."
Injury History
The captain missed Australia's limited-overs series against both Asian and Trans-Tasman rivals last month after examinations confirmed a stress reaction in his back.
Previous incidents include of spinal problems, with recurrences in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 leading to absences from three Australian summers in a short span.
Cummins stated he would be bold in recovery efforts in his rehabilitation process to secure his spot for the contest.
The selector indicated that there was no confirmation if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his rehabilitation but admitted it was "becoming urgent" for him to be fit for the first Test.
Contingency Plans
If he's unavailable, veteran batsman 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 discomfort in his torso.
He labeled it as a "small issue and confirmed that he's scheduled to appear in the state-level matches, so will be "ideally positioned to be ready to bowl."
"We put so much time has gone into building out the plan for him to be available for the initial game as an dual-role player," he elaborated.
"His involvement was limited to the first two ODIs anyway. The way he swings the bat in limited-overs, even if it just sets him back for another day, we just made the decision to take a cautious route."
Fixture Details
The Ashes: Australia v England
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
