Steve Smith is sure Australia will have a "seamless transition" should he need to step in for Pat Cummins as captain during this year’s Ashes series against England.

Regular skipper Cummins has been sidelined since July with a back injury and recently admitted that his participation in the series opener in Perth on November 21 is "less likely than likely.

Despite that, chair of selectors George Bailey said he was still hopeful that Cummins would be able to play a major role in the series.

Smith has assumed captaincy duties on six occasions when Cummins has been sidelined, leading Australia to wins in five of those Tests, though the 36-year-old insists he hopes his teammate will be fit.

He last led Australia to a 4-0 home Ashes win in 2016/17 and filled in for one Test during their 4-0 triumph in 2021-22.

"The team is better with (Cummins) in it," Smith said to reporters. "Hopefully he can get right and if he plays three or five Tests, as many as we can get out of him, it's the best thing for the team.

"We'll see what happens. Pat's still got a few things that he can tick off. Obviously he said he's unlikely for that first Test but you never know - he's a healer, he gets well quickly.

"I've stood in a couple of times over the last few years. It's nothing out of the ordinary. I know how the team operates, we're in a good place, if it happens I'll look forward to it."

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Smith was previously Australia's full-time Test captain, leading the side in 34 Tests between 2014 and 2018 before stepping down after the sandpaper ball-tampering scandal in South Africa.

The batter boasts an incredible average of near 70 with the bat when leading the side, and he admits that captaincy often brings out the best in him.

"I feel like I go to another level and try to set a standard," Smith said. "It's worked well when I've stood in over the last few years. It will be just a seamless transition if that comes around."

After a two-month break since featuring in The Hundred in August, Smith will return for New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield next week before one final domestic outing to fine-tune his form ahead of the Ashes.

"Honestly, it takes me two hits to get sorted," he added. "I feel like I'm ready to go now.

"There's obviously a balance, but I don't think it takes me much now to get up to game speed, and I want to try and stay mentally fresh. Technically I feel in a good place, it's just about being mentally fresh."