Reports: Pat Cummins to miss two-match Test series against Sri Lanka next year

Fresh reports have emerged which suggest Australian skipper, Pat Cummins, might miss some or the entire Test series against Sri Lanka scheduled for next year. Cummins, along with wife, Becky Boston, are reportedly expecting the birth of their second child during the same timeframe. 

In a recent conversation, he confirmed that the expected birth of their child would be the main reasons as to him missing out a portion of the tour to Sri Lanka.  

“Yeah, it’s definitely a factor. We haven’t worked out exactly what that looks like – it’s pretty hard to plan the exact day, but definitely,” Cummins told Sydney Morning Herald.

The 2023 World Cup-winning skipper regretted not spending adequate time with his wife and son, Albie, as biosecurity rules forced Cummins to fly to the UAE for the T20 World Cup just four days after his son’s birth in October 2021.

“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,” mentioned Cummins.

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We’re pretty open when it comes to family: Cummins

Cummins, who returned home after the unfortunate bereavement of his mother during last year's Border-Gavaskar Trophy, opened up on the flexibility provided by Cricket Australia to all its players when it comes to family-related matters.

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

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The two-match series' schedule isn't out yet. However, one thing is for sure, that that particular series would be crucial for Australia for them to keep themselves in the reckoning for appearing in the final of the 2023-25 cycle of the World Test Championship in June.