Australian international cricketer, Will Pucovski is set to announce his retirement at just 26 years old. Once touted to be the next big batting talent, the Victorian batter’s recurring injury issues will result in a premature end to his career.
According to a report by Australian news outlet, 9News Melbourne,” the (retirement) decision was made several months ago, but has only been formalised contractually by Cricket Victoria this week”.
“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 formalise that contractually,” Nine News as quoted by FoxSports said.
Once a batting prodigy, he rose the ranks to break into the Australian Test squad in 2019. Despite representing Australia in Test cricket, his career has been plagued with a series of head injuries. He has only featured for the national team once, which came against India during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2021 at Sydney. He scored a fine 62 in his introduction to Test cricket but was eventually dismissed by the fast-bowler Navdeep Saini via lbw.
However, Pucovski’s career has been hampered with concussions regularly which halted his rise to the top. This resulted in him taking an extended break from the sport in 2022.
He last took part in a first-class game where Victoria was up against Tasmania in the Sheffield Shield match in Hobart. During the game, the Australian pacer, Riley Meredith opted for a short ball which went on to strike the batter on the helmet.
Many hoped that he would have been able to get past the injury crisis as many tipped him to be the next big Australian opener after David Warner. However, Pucovski’s career remains a stark reminder of just how fortunate one must be to play cricket at the highest level.
The Australian side will be looking to find a new long-term option for the top of the batting order with David Warner’s retirement. However, no official announcement has been made regarding this as the Aussies will be eagerly looking forward to reclaiming the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at their home ground. India has held the title for the past four editions including the infamous series win in 2020-21 on Australian soil.
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