New dad Pat Cummins lumps praise on team-mates as stand-in skipper Steve Smith guides Australia to series sweep against Sri Lanka

Pat Cummins took to Instagram on Sunday afternoon to congratulate the Australian men’s Test cricket side on their series swoop against Sri Lanka. 

It comes just days after the Baggy Greens captain announced that he and his partner Becky announced the arrival of their baby girl, Edi. 

Cummins, 31, had remained in Australia to welcome his baby girl into the world, with Steve Smith taking charge of the side on their tour of Sri Lanka. 

After sealing the series 2-0 on Sunday, with a third and final match coming in Colombo next week, Smith claimed that the side have never played as well on the continent during his career.  

Australia sealed a nine-wicket win in the second Test match, with Marnus Labuschagne hitting the last of the 75 runs required on the morning of day four in Galle.

Sri Lanka (257 and 231) challenged Australia (414 and 1-75) more than in the first Test – their biggest loss in history – but a 259-run partnership between Alex Carey (156) and Smith (131) across the second and third days proved the difference.

The 2-0 whitewash marked Australia’s first Test series win in Sri Lanka since 2011 and their first time winning every match on a subcontinent visit since touring Bangladesh in 2006.

The result is another string in the bow of an Australian team that holds every bilateral trophy and began the summer with a thrilling home series win over India.

Cummins, in awe of his team-mates’ achievement, took to social media to publish his congratulations to the side. 

He posted a picture of the team on his Instagram story, with the caption: ‘Absolutely brilliant lads.’ 

Smith, meanwhile, was also full of praise for his team-mates. 

‘The guys did it as well as I’ve seen an Australian team do it in the subcontinent since I’ve been playing,’ he said.

‘Right from our (preparation) camp in Dubai, the guys turned up and wanted to find ways to be successful here. Every individual found a method that worked.’

Resuming at 8-211 on day four on Sunday, Sri Lanka could have made a game of things by adding 100 or so to the 54-run lead they took to stumps the previous night.

But their hopes appeared shot when their last recognised batter Kusal Mendis (50) skied a bouncing Nathan Lyon (4-84) delivery to Smith in the day’s first over.

Sri Lanka added only 14 more runs before Beau Webster bowled Lahiru Kumara (nine) with his part-time offspin less than half an hour after play resumed.

Travis Head (20 runs off 22 balls) edged Sri Lanka’s best bowler of the match Prabath Jayasuriya to Kusal midway through the straightforward run chase, but that was Australia’s only wobble.

Australia barely made it out of second gear in the first Test, going on to record their biggest win on the subcontinent, trouncing Sri Lanka by an innings and 242 runs.

Only Sri Lanka’s solid start with the bat and their excellent new-ball bowling on day three would seriously have threatened the tourists in the second Test.

On an individual level, it was a trip to remember for most Australian players.

Player of the series Smith scored 141 and 131 in his two knocks and has now made tons in four of his past five Tests, continuing a brilliant resurgence for the veteran right-hander.

‘Things can turn around quickly,’ said Smith, who missed out on scores in his first three innings of the home summer.

Only weeks after a dislocated thumb threatened his tour, left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann reasserted himself as a must-pick for future Asian tours with a series-leading 16 wickets at 17.18.

The Sri Lanka series also featured Test debuts for long-time reserve batter Josh Inglis and bolter Cooper Connolly.

Inglis made a blistering century in his first Test knock, but was out for a second-ball duck facing up to the new ball in the second.

Batting allrounder Connolly was a bit-player on Test debut in the second match with only four runs at No.8 and no wickets falling from his left-arm finger-spin. 

Questions remain as to how the 21-year-old could be employed in future matches.

More pressing concerns surround the Australian batting order for the next match they will play – the World Test Championship against South Africa at Lord’s in June.

Labuschagne (26no) forged the winning partnership with Usman Khawaja (27no) but looked uncomfortable at the crease in his first two knocks of the series.

With middle-order option Cameron Green expected to be fit to bat in the WTC final, Australia have a big decision to make as to the immediate future of Labuschagne, averaging only 31.5 since the start of 2023.

Teen sensation Sam Konstas was controversially dropped to facilitate Head’s move to the top of the order but will push for a recall, which could mean Inglis makes way despite his century on debut.