“Want to work out how we can…”: Cummins hints at missing SL Test series next year due to birth of second child

Sydney [Australia], October 16 (ANI): Australian Test captain Pat Cummins on Wednesday hinted at missing a chunk of next year’s away Test series against Sri Lanka.

Cummins is expecting his second child with wife Becky in late January or early February. This also coincides with the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, which is also expected to be held in late January and early February, with dates not announced yet, as per Sydney Morning Herald.

Depending on how the highly-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy series of five matches against India at home goes, this series against Lankan Lions could be crucial in deciding Australia’s fate for the ICC World Test Championship final. In the WTC 2023-25 table, Australia is ranked second, next to India, facing some tough competition from Sri Lanka (3rd), England (4th) and South Africa (5th).

Speaking to Sydney Morning Herald, Cummins said that he missed a “big chunk” of his son Albie’s early days after his birth in 2021 due to that year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Cummins, under strict COVID-19 restrictions, had to fly to UAE for the tournament just four days after Albie’s birth.

“We have not worked out exactly what that looks like – it is pretty hard to plan exactly the day, but definitely. I missed a big chunk [of son Albie’s early days] last time and I want to work out how we can spend a bit more time at home for that initial period this time around,” said Cummins.

Cummins said that cricketers are going to put their families first and it is hard to ignore them in favour of a hectic cricketing calendar, saying that “it is not the end of the world” if players do not play.

“Within reason, no one is ever going to bat an eyelid if someone needs to put their family first. We are playing cricket, it is not the end of the world, so we want people to have long, successful careers for Australia, and you cannot just ask them to put their life on hold to go tour the world and forget about everything else. We are pretty open when it comes to family,” he said.

Australia will be starting their home season in summer with three-match ODI series against Pakistan from November 4.

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India will start from November 22 with first Test at Perth.

The second Test, scheduled for December 6 to 10 at Adelaide Oval, will feature the exciting day-night format under the stadium’s lights. After that, fans will turn their attention to The Gabba in Brisbane for the third Test, which will be held from December 14 to 18.

The customary Boxing Day Test, set for December 26 to 30 at Melbourne’s storied Melbourne Cricket Ground, will bring the series to its penultimate stage.

The fifth and final Test, taking place at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 to 7, will serve as the series climax, promising a dramatic conclusion to an exciting contest.