The pace bowler has secured 309 Test scalps in 71 Test matches with an average of 22.10.
Australia's chief selector Bailey has declared that captain Pat Cummins will play a "major part" in the upcoming historic rivalry.
There were concerns that Cummins might be unavailable due to a ongoing back issue that was still troubling him.
Previous updates from the Australian camp suggested no official announcement had been made regarding his involvement, with the five-Test series set to start on the 21st of November in Western Australia.
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 various factors involved, aside from the back issue, but additional elements," he commented.
"It's positive. We firmly believe that he'll participate in a major part. With luck from the opening match. Should that not happen, we'll reassess."
Previous Setbacks
The captain missed the white-ball matches against India and New Zealand last month after scans revealed a lower back issue.
There is a track record of back injuries, with recurrences in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 leading to absences from multiple domestic campaigns in four years.
He emphasized he would be bold in recovery efforts in his recovery plan to secure his spot for the Ashes.
He mentioned that it was unclear if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his recovery but acknowledged it was "pressing" for him to be fit for the opener.
Alternative Arrangements
Should Cummins not be fit, veteran batsman Smith will take over the captaincy.
The talented all-rounder was recently pulled out from the ODI lineup for their ODI contests against the subcontinent side as a safety move because of discomfort in his torso.
Bailey described it as a "slight concern and confirmed that he's scheduled to appear in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "ideally positioned to deliver overs."
"We put so much time has gone into creating the schedule for him to take part for the first Test as an dual-role player," Bailey explained.
"His involvement was limited to the starting games in any case. His aggressive style the willow in shorter formats, even if it just sets him back for 24 more hours, we just made the decision to adopt a safer strategy."
Match Calendar
The Ashes: Australia v England
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
