The pace bowler has claimed 309 wickets in 71 five-day games with an impressive average.
The Australian chair of selectors the selector has confirmed that captain Pat Cummins will play a "major part" in this winter's 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.
Earlier indications from the squad suggested no definitive call had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the extended contest scheduled to begin on November 21 in the WACA.
The selector shared that the captain is progressing and remained hopeful about the prospects of being involved.
"We know that the clock is ticking and there are permutations around that, not only the back issue, but further aspects," he commented.
"We're encouraged. There's strong faith that he will feature a key capacity. Ideally starting in Perth. If not, we'll reassess."
Injury History
The captain missed the ODI and T20 games against India and New Zealand in the previous weeks after examinations confirmed a lumbar bone stress.
He has a history of recurring issues, with flare-ups in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 leading to absences from several home seasons in a limited period.
The bowler mentioned he would be bold in recovery efforts in his comeback strategy to ensure his availability for the contest.
The selector indicated that he did not know if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his recovery but conceded it was "becoming urgent" for him to regain fitness for the opener.
Contingency Plans
If he's unavailable, veteran batsman Smith will lead the side.
Versatile player Green was recently pulled out from the national team for their limited-overs matches against India as a precautionary measure because of soreness in his side.
He labeled it as a "minor" injury and stated that he'll feature in the state-level matches, so will be "ideally positioned to resume bowling."
"Extensive planning has gone into developing the strategy for him to participate for the initial game as an dual-role player," Bailey explained.
"Originally, he'd only feature in the starting games anyway. The way he swings the willow in shorter formats, even if it just sets him back for another day, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively."
Series Schedule
The Historic Rivalry
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
