The pace bowler has secured 309 wickets in 71 appearances with an impressive average.
The Australian chair of selectors Bailey has declared that captain Pat Cummins will be a central figure in the upcoming historic rivalry.
There were concerns that the veteran bowler might miss the series due to a ongoing back issue that was still troubling him.
Previous updates from team management suggested no official announcement had been made regarding his involvement, with the Test matches scheduled to begin on the 21st of November in the WACA.
Bailey expressed that the captain is progressing and remained hopeful about his chances of taking part.
"It's clear that the clock is ticking and multiple considerations at play, aside from the physical problem, but additional elements," the selector added.
"It's positive. There's strong faith that he will feature a major part. With luck it's the first Test. If not, we'll adjust."
Past Concerns
The captain missed the ODI and T20 games against India and New Zealand recently after scans revealed a lower back issue.
He has a history of spinal problems, with setbacks in multiple past seasons leading to absences from three Australian summers in a limited period.
Cummins stated he would be proactive in his approach in his rehabilitation process to make the squad for the Ashes.
The selector indicated that he did not know if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his comeback but acknowledged it was "getting tight" for him to recover fully for the opener.
Backup Options
If he's unavailable, ex-skipper Smith will lead the side.
The talented all-rounder was withdrawn recently from the national team for their one-day international series against the subcontinent side as a preventive step because of an abdominal issue.
Bailey described it as a "small issue and confirmed that he'll feature in the state-level matches, so will be "well-prepared to resume bowling."
"We put so much time has gone into building out the plan for him to be available for the first Test as an dual-role player," the selector detailed.
"His involvement was limited to the initial matches anyway. His aggressive style the bat in limited-overs, should it hinder progress for 24 more hours, we opted to approach this more conservatively."
Match Calendar
The Historic Rivalry
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
