Pat Cummins doubtful for Australia's tour of Sri Lanka in 2025

Australia are likely to be without the services of captain Pat Cummins when they tour Sri Lanka in early 2025. The two teams will square off in two Test matches and a solitary ODI.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) announced the schedule for the tour on Friday, November 1, as Australia will head to the island nation in January 2025. The two Tests, part of the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, will be held in Galle between January 29 to February 10. The one-off ODI is set to be played on February 13, with the venue yet to be finalised.

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Cummins might miss this tour as he and his wife are expecting their second child. Australia head coach Andrew McDonald said that they will see where things are placed before the tour and will respect Cummins' choice.

"We'll see what that looks like closer to the time. We've got a couple of players in Mitch Marsh and Travis Head taking paternity leave at the moment (for the Pakistan ODI series)," McDonald was quoted as saying by India Today about Cummins' potential absence.

"So we respect that if that was to unfold for that particular time and if he wants to miss a Test. If he's got bigger things to take care of than a Test match in Sri Lanka, then that's fine with us," the former cricketer added.

Where are Australia and Sri Lanka placed in WTC standings?

Australia have a very good chance of reaching back-to-back WTC finals as they are placed at No. 2 in the standings with a points percentage of 62.50 after 12 matches. They are set to play five Tests at home against India, who are stationed at the top of the points table.

Also Read: Schedule confirmed by Sri Lanka Cricket for Australia's tour in 2025

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka have played nine matches and have a points percentage of 55.56. The Dhananjaya de Silva-led side are placed at No. 3 on the points table. They will travel to South Africa later this month to play a two-match Test series.