The pace bowler has secured over 300 dismissals in 71 appearances with an impressive average.
The Australian selection chief the selector has confirmed that captain Pat Cummins will have a crucial role in the upcoming historic rivalry.
There were concerns that the veteran bowler might sit out due to a stress fracture in his back that had not yet healed.
Previous updates from the squad suggested no official announcement had been made regarding whether he would play, with the extended contest set to start on 21 November in Perth.
The selector shared that the captain is progressing and remained hopeful about his chances of participating.
"We know that the window is narrowing and multiple considerations at play, aside from the physical problem, but additional elements," he commented.
"The outlook is good. We firmly believe that he's going to play a key capacity. Hopefully from the opening match. Should that not happen, we'll reassess."
Previous Setbacks
He was sidelined the white-ball matches against New Zealand and India last month after medical tests showed a lumbar bone stress.
He has a history of spinal problems, with recurrences in several earlier campaigns leading to absences from multiple domestic campaigns in a short span.
The bowler mentioned he would be bold in recovery efforts in his recovery plan to make the squad for the series.
The selector indicated that it was unclear if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his rehabilitation but acknowledged it was "getting tight" for him to recover fully for the initial match.
Contingency Plans
If he's unavailable, veteran batsman Smith will assume leadership.
The talented all-rounder was recently pulled out from Australia's squad for their one-day international series against India as a precautionary measure because of discomfort in his torso.
He labeled it as a "small issue and stated that he's scheduled to appear in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "ideally positioned to be ready to bowl."
"We put so much time has gone into developing the strategy for him to be available for the initial game as an dual-role player," he elaborated.
"His involvement was limited to the first two ODIs regardless. The way he swings the willow in shorter formats, even if it just sets him back for another day, the choice was made to adopt a safer strategy."
Match Calendar
The Historic Rivalry
From November 21, 2025 to January 7, 2026
