‘It’s not the end of the world’: Cummins may miss Sri Lanka Test for birth of his second baby

Australia’s captain Pat Cummins has resolved to spend more time at home around the birth of his second child, even if it means missing a chunk of next year’s Test series in Sri Lanka.

Cummins – who on Wednesday will be unveiled as Prime Video’s new ambassador in a three-year deal reputed to be worth seven figures after splitting with Foxtel – is expecting baby number two with his wife Becky in late January or early February.

Pat Cummins has left Foxtel to sign a deal with Prime.

Australia are scheduled to play two Tests in Sri Lanka in late January and early February, with the exact dates yet to be announced. The series may determine the team’s qualification for the World Test Championship final at Lord’s in June.

In contrast with past eras of international sport, Cummins has helped foster a culture of putting life ahead of cricket, in the belief it will deliver better results over the long term and extend careers. Travis Head and Mitch Marsh, for example, will be on paternity leave for next month’s ODI series against Pakistan.

Indian superstar Virat Kohli flew home after the first Test of the 2020-21 series in Australia to be there for the birth of his first child.

“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 this masthead. “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.

Pat Cummins with wife Becky and son Albie at the MCG on Christmas Day in 2022.Credit: Getty Images

“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 has experienced plenty of difficult family times as a cricketer, not least when he flew home after two Tests of last year’s India tour to be with his mother Maria during her final days.

He has always regretted not being able to spend more time with Becky and Albie after his son’s birth in late 2021. Due to biosecurity restrictions in place at the time, Cummins was compelled to fly to the UAE ahead of that year’s Twenty20 World Cup just four days after Albie was born.

Within days of his return from the tournament, Cummins’ world shifted dramatically once more when he was appointed Australian captain. Between the T20 World Cup and the subsequent Ashes series, he lost valuable family time and has long been determined to take more if he became a father again.

“I’m really glad he was there for the birth because I don’t think I could’ve done it without him,” Becky told this masthead in 2021. “However, looking back, him leaving the day after we got home from hospital was the most ridiculous, hardest thing … it was terrible timing. But I wouldn’t have had it any other way; he got to be there, of course, and you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.”

That sense was only heightened after Maria’s death.

‘We’re playing cricket, it’s not the end of the world’

Australian Test captain Pat Cummins

“That was the hardest time of my life, easily,” Cummins told The Imperfects podcast earlier this year. “I probably felt it in the 12 months leading in. Any time I flew away I was like, ‘Time’s finite here, I’m making a deliberate choice to go and play somewhere rather than spend it at home’.”

As a parent, Cummins said he had become much more deliberate about how he used his time.

“You get eight hours [sleep] now, but the days are so full-on,” he said. “So whenever you’re not with Albie it’s like ‘OK, what are the emails or phone calls I need to make, or what training do I need to do in the hour or two I’ve got’.

“I find you can’t be on autopilot, you’ve got to be deliberate with your time if you want to achieve anything.”

The Prime deal, which will be announced in Sydney on Wednesday, means he has committed to any future documentary projects with the platform, after three seasons of The Test lifted the curtain on the Australian dressing room. The US-based internet giant also has the rights to ICC global events until 2027.

“We are always looking to partner with people who are forward-thinking, doing things a little bit differently, innovative, and Prime Video sit very squarely in that,” Cummins said. “The world has changed a lot even over my playing career, but for us it feels very clear that Prime and streaming services like that are here to stay.”

Brisbane will host a day/night Ashes Test next summer as part of a schedule to be announced on Wednesday. The series against England will be held across its now-traditional window, but with Perth the venue for the first Test, followed by Brisbane, the Christmas Test in Adelaide, Boxing Day in Melbourne, and New Year’s in Sydney.

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