Melbourne [Australia], February 8: Australian cricket captain Pat Cummins and his wife Becky recently welcomed their second child, a baby girl named Edi. The couple took to Instagram to share the happy news, with a heartwarming post revealing the first glimpse of their daughter.
“She’s here. Our beautiful baby girl, Edi. Words can’t describe how overjoyed & full of love we feel right now,” the joint post from Pat and Becky read.
While the birth of Edi brought immense joy to the couple, it also meant that Cummins missed out on Australia’s ongoing tour to Sri Lanka. Additionally, the Australian team is facing a challenging time as key players, including Cummins and pacer Josh Hazlewood, have been ruled out of the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy due to injuries.
Both Cummins and Hazlewood will be sidelined with ankle and hip issues, respectively, further depleting Australia’s pace attack. Adding to the team’s woes, Mitchell Marsh has withdrawn from the tournament due to a persistent back injury, and Marcus Stoinis has shocked everyone with his retirement. With these setbacks, Australia’s options for pace bowling are becoming increasingly limited.
The team now needs at least four replacements, including two all-rounders, to compensate for the loss of balance and experience. The final squad for the Champions Trophy will be announced after Australia’s second Test against Sri Lanka, which is currently underway in Galle.
Cummins, who had been struggling with an ankle issue, had previously bowled a grueling 167 overs in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Hazlewood, after recovering from side and calf strains that kept him out of three Tests in the series, is now facing a hip issue, requiring further rehabilitation. Both players are unlikely to be available for the IPL as well.
Australia’s next major commitment after the Champions Trophy will be the ICC World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord’s in mid-June.
Preliminary Squad for ICC Champions Trophy (yet to be finalized):
- Pat Cummins (c)
- Alex Carey
- Nathan Ellis
- Aaron Hardie
- Josh Hazlewood
- Travis Head
- Josh Inglis
- Marnus Labuschagne
- Glenn Maxwell
- Matt Short
- Steve Smith
- Mitchell Starc
- Marcus Stoinis
- Adam Zampa