Pat Cummins might miss Australia's Test series vs Sri Lanka for birth of 2nd child 

Pat Cummins hinted at missing out on Australia's Test series against Sri Lanka due to the potential clash of the dates with the birth of his 2nd child next year in late January or early February.

In Short

• Pat Cummins might miss Test series vs Sri Lanka
• Cummins and wife Becky expecting their 2nd child next year
• Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh are on paternity leaves for Pakistan series

Australia captain Pat Cummins hinted at missing out on the Test series against Sri Lanka due to the birth of his 2nd child. Cummins admitted that he missed out on a big chunk of spending family time after the birth of his 1st son Albie and wanted to work things on around that time. The Sri Lanka series is scheduled to take place in last January and early February in 2025, but the dates aren't announced yet. Cummins and wife Becky Boston are expecting their second baby around that time itself.

“Yeah it’s definitely a factor. We haven’t worked out exactly what that looks like – it’s pretty hard to plan exactly the day, but definitely,” Cummins told the media during an event as quoted by The Sydney Morning Herald. “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.

The importance of life beyond cricket

In recent times, cricketers have started prioritising lives outside the cricketing field as well. A culture of taking paternity leaves and mental health breaks has been fostered. Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh missed out from Australia's ODI squad against Pakistan as they are on paternity leave, set to welcome their respective babies into the world.

Pat Cummins has emphasised a team culture that values life beyond cricket, believing that prioritising personal well-being leads to better long-term performance and helps players enjoy extended careers. This approach reflects his leadership style, which encourages players to maintain a healthy balance between professional and personal life, fostering resilience and sustainable success on the field.

“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.”

Cummins had to fly back home ahead of the last two Tests against India last year to be with his mother during her final days. He regretted not being able to spend time with his family after the birth of his first child in 2021. He had to fly to the UAE for ICC T20 World Cup 2021, just four days after Albie's birth.