The pace bowler has claimed 309 wickets in 71 five-day games with an stellar bowling average.
Australia's chief selector Bailey has declared that captain Pat Cummins will play a "major part" in the forthcoming historic rivalry.
Speculation had been growing that the 32-year-old might miss the series due to a persistent back stress problem that was still troubling him.
Previous updates from the Australian camp suggested no final decision had been made regarding his involvement, with the five-Test series set to start on the 21st of November in Perth.
Bailey expressed that his recovery is on track and remained hopeful about his chances of taking part.
"It's clear that the window is narrowing and there are permutations involved, not only the back issue, but other factors as well," he commented.
"It's positive. [We are] really confident that he's going to play a major part. With luck from the opening match. Should that not happen, then we'll pick it up."
Past Concerns
The captain missed the white-ball matches against India and New Zealand recently after medical tests showed a lumbar bone stress.
Previous incidents include of spinal problems, with recurrences in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 leading to absences from three Australian summers in four years.
Cummins stated he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his recovery plan to make the squad for the Ashes.
He mentioned that there was no confirmation if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his recovery but conceded it was "becoming urgent" for him to regain fitness for the initial match.
Alternative Arrangements
If he's unavailable, veteran batsman Smith will assume leadership.
All-rounder Cameron Green was excluded lately from the ODI lineup for their ODI contests against the Asian giants as a precautionary measure because of discomfort in his torso.
He labeled it as a "small issue and stated that he'll feature in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "in a good place to resume bowling."
"Considerable effort has gone into developing the strategy for him to be available for the opening match as an dual-role player," he elaborated.
"Originally, he'd only feature in the starting games anyway. How he handles the willow in shorter formats, should it hinder progress for 24 more hours, the choice was made to approach this more conservatively."
Fixture Details
Australia vs England: The Ashes
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
