Australia Test captain Pat Cummins has hinted at missing the next year’s Test tour of Sri Lanka due to the birth of his second child. The 31-year-old said he missed a significant amount of time in his first child’s early days and that he is keen to spend more time with his family.

Cummins’ wife, Becky Boston, is expecting their second child in January or early February. Australia would be on the tour of Sri Lanka during that time.

“It is an important factor to consider. We haven’t planned anything, as predicting the exact day and time is impossible. I was not there during the early days of my son, and I want to spend more time with my family at home,” he told The Sydney Morning Herald.

Cricketers have been skipping international matches for the birth of their kids. Virat Kohli played one Test in the series against Australia in 2021-22 as his wife Anushka Sharma was expecting their first child. He opted out of the five Tests against England to be with his partner during the birth of their second child.

Pat Cummins mentioned that cricketers will always put their families above cricket, as ignoring them for careers is not right.

“No one is going to say anything if a cricketer chooses family over the sport. We are playing cricket, and I hope players have long and successful careers, but that doesn’t mean putting family in the back seat. Australia cricketers are pretty open when it comes to families,” he added.

Australia will take on Pakistan in three ODIs starting on November 4 at the MCG.