Will Pucovski has decided to retire from cricket at the age of 26 after a recommendation from a panel of medical experts.
Pucovski has been considered the future of Australian batting after a stunning start to his FC career. But his career came to a premature end following a series of injuries and multiple episodes of concussion.
The former opener played only one test in his career, against India in 2021 at Sydney. His shaggy hair coming out from beneath his helmet, Pucovski made 62 runs in the game in which he struggled against Ashwin before being dismissed by Navdeep Saini. He also suffered a shoulder injury during the match which sidelines him for six months.
“My understanding is that an independent panel of experts recommended Pucovski retire three months ago, and all that’s left is for Cricket Victoria and his team to formalize that contractually,” said Tom Morris.
“The news doesn’t come as a surprise to teammates of Pucovski who haven’t seen him at training all pre-season, in fact he’s been traveling overseas.”
Pucovski was concussed recently in March 2024 and was forced to retire hurt after Riley Meredith struck his helmet during a Sheffield Shield match.
The blow ruled him out of the rest of the Australian summer and also forced him to opt out of a contract with Leicestershire for the English Summer.
He scored 2350 runs at 45.19 with seven hundred in 26 FC matches for Victoria. He made his FC debut in 2017 and also received an offer from the Melbourne Stars in 2020/21. But he has never played T20 cricket since the inception of the Big Bash League.
He was picked in the Test squad to face India on the helmet while playing against tourists for Australia A and suffered a concussion. A multiple concussion has made his career difficult, contributing to his mental health. He tried his best to continue his career in cricket, but the concussion in March prevented him from continuing his career.
He played for Victoria in u-19 level scoring four centuries in national championships and made his List A debut in a tour against Pakistan in 2017. Due to his impressive performance in the tour, he earned his Sheffield Shield debut.
