The pace bowler has secured 309 wickets in 71 appearances with an stellar bowling average.
The Australian selection chief George Bailey has confirmed that captain Pat Cummins will play a "major part" in this winter's Ashes series.
There were concerns that the veteran bowler might miss the series due to a ongoing back issue that had not yet healed.
Previous updates from the squad suggested no official announcement had been made regarding his involvement, with the Test matches scheduled to begin on November 21 in the WACA.
He revealed that his recovery is on track and remained hopeful about the likelihood of taking part.
"We know that the clock is ticking and various factors at play, not only his injury, but further aspects," he commented.
"We're encouraged. [We are] really confident that he's going to play a major part. Ideally it's the first Test. Should that not happen, then we'll pick it up."
Previous Setbacks
He was sidelined the ODI and T20 games against New Zealand and India recently after scans revealed a stress reaction in his back.
There is a track record of recurring issues, with setbacks in multiple past seasons forcing him out of three Australian summers in a short span.
The bowler mentioned he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his recovery plan to secure his spot for the Ashes.
Bailey noted that there was no confirmation if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his comeback but admitted it was "becoming urgent" for him to regain fitness for the first Test.
Contingency Plans
Should Cummins not be fit, ex-skipper Smith will take over the captaincy.
The talented all-rounder was excluded lately from the national team for their one-day international series against the Asian giants as a safety move because of discomfort in his torso.
Bailey described it as a "minor" injury and mentioned that he's scheduled to appear in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "in a good place to resume bowling."
"Considerable effort has gone into building out the plan for him to be available for the initial game as an batting and bowling option," Bailey explained.
"His involvement was limited to the starting games anyway. How he handles the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, should it hinder progress for 24 more hours, we just made the decision to take a cautious route."
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The Historic Rivalry
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