The pace bowler has claimed 309 Test scalps in 71 five-day games with an stellar bowling average.
Australia's selection chief George Bailey has declared that captain Pat Cummins will be a central figure in the forthcoming historic rivalry.
There were concerns that the 32-year-old might be unavailable due to a stress fracture in his back that had not yet healed.
Previous updates from the Australian camp suggested no final decision had been made regarding whether he would play, with the extended contest set to start on the 21st of November in Western Australia.
The selector shared that his recovery is on track and felt positive about the likelihood of taking part.
"We know that time is getting short and various factors around that, not just his injury, but other factors as well," Bailey remarked.
"It's positive. [We are] really confident that he'll participate in a major part. Hopefully starting in Perth. Otherwise, we'll reassess."
Previous Setbacks
The captain missed Australia's limited-overs series against New Zealand and India in the previous weeks after examinations confirmed a lumbar bone stress.
He has a history of back injuries, with setbacks in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 forcing him out of multiple domestic campaigns in a short span.
Cummins stated he would be bold in recovery efforts in his rehabilitation process to make the squad for the contest.
The selector indicated that it was unclear if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his recovery but admitted it was "getting tight" for him to be fit for the initial match.
Contingency Plans
If he's unavailable, former captain Steve Smith will lead the side.
All-rounder Cameron Green was withdrawn recently from Australia's squad for their one-day international series against India as a precautionary measure because of an abdominal issue.
The selector characterized it as a "slight concern and confirmed that Green will play in the state-level matches, so will be "ideally positioned to deliver overs."
"Considerable effort 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 first two ODIs regardless. His aggressive style the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, if it causes any delay for 24 more hours, the choice was made to approach this more conservatively."
Fixture Details
The Historic Rivalry
From November 21, 2025 to January 7, 2026
