Will Pucovski’s deal with Leicestershire has been canceled after the player suffered another concussion while batting earlier this month.
Will Pucovski’s County Stint for Leicestershire Cancelled
Pucovski was due for his stint in county cricket before being felled by a Riley Meredith bouncer in Victoria’s Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania. He was then ruled out of the entire Sheffield Shield tournament.
Leicestershire had signed Pucovski as a backup for South African all-rounder Wiann Mulder for the first five games of the County Championship.
“It’s a huge shame to lose Will at this stage, but his health must come first,” said Leicestershire’s director of cricket, Claude Henderson.
“Given the proximity to the start of the English season, it has been agreed by all parties to allow him the necessary time to recover, and we want to wish Will all the best as he continues to recuperate in Australia.
“Our recruitment team has been aware of the evolving situation, and we have plans in place to ensure our team is as strong as possible heading into the season. As such, we will be able to announce a new overseas addition shortly.”
This blow was at least his 11th concussion of Pucovski in his career with the right-hander left on all fours dry-heaving for several minutes after the impact.
While speaking about his concussion, Will Pucovski said, “I have a lot of concussion symptoms that over a seven- or eight-year period actually never subsided.
You just sort of got used to having them in a way. The brain’s pretty amazing and can find ways to adapt.
I would fail concussion tests in the exact same way every single time, regardless of whether I had been hit in the head, and that was over a seven- or eight-year period.”
Pucovski made his Test debut for Australia in 2021 and averages 45.19 in first-class cricket, but has spent lengthy spells on the sidelines dealing with a concussion and prioritizing his mental health.
Pucovski was scheduled to return to Weybridge Cricket Club in the Surrey Championship following his time at Leicestershire.
“I’m sort of in this bliss period now where I’m just loving it and just want to get as much cricket under my belt as possible,” he said.
“It’s been a hell of a journey, but I’ve gotten to the stage now where I’ve found what I needed to find, and things are really starting to click.”
The County Championship is set to begin on April 05 with Middlesex and Glamorgan playing in the first match at Lord’s Cricket Ground.
