A 27-year-old Will Pucovski has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket due to long-term concussion issues. Pucovski who played on Test against India in 2021 at Sydney Cricket Ground and scored a fifty has said that 'it's been a really difficult year' for him.
Pucovski was touted as the next big thing in Australia cricket. The Victoria-born batter averages over 45 in first-class cricket. His concussion problems which date back to over a decade ago when he played Australia rules football turned out to be the first and final roadblock in his cricket career.
"I wish I was coming in maybe under better circumstances," Pucovski told SEN Radio. "I'm not going to be playing cricket again. It's been a really difficult year to put it as simply as possible.
"I'd need a few hours, I think, to take you through the whole journey…but the simple message is I won't be playing cricket at any level again."
Pucovski's aim was to play 100 Tests
Pucovski was hit by a bouncer from Tasmania's Riley Meredith in a Sheffield Shield game last year. He retired out after playing just two balls and never played professional cricket again. After repeated concussions, Pucovski was advised to retire from the game. He recalled a time when he thought he was going to have a bright future. He wanted to play a 100 Tests but it was not to be.
"After that century in Sydney, I thought from a personal point of view things were starting to click for me," he said. "I put a mountain of effort into getting things right off the field to be good on the field.
"It had always been my dream to play for Australia, I found myself in that position in 2021. My ambition didn't stop there. I wanted to be that guy that was a leader of the batting unit. I wanted to play 100 Tests.
"Unfortunately, one Test is where it ends."
Pucovski reveals 'frightening' times
Pucovski talked about the struggles he faces on a regular basis. Also, he opened up about the mental health issues.
"It's complicated," Pucovski said. "There's the mental health symptoms which is one part of it. Then there's the fatigue, which is quite bad, I get regular headaches.
"I really struggle with things on my left side. If I have things happening in my left I feel sick and dizzy. I struggle with motion sickness.
"At 27, I have so much ahead of me and I have so many things I want to achieve in my life. I wanted to play another 15 years and that gets taken away which is bad enough. At least I know I won't get hit in the head again, but when the symptoms are ongoing, it's frightening.
"I know what I was like before these concussions and I know what I am now. My family and friends have noticed a difference in me and that's scary for me and for them."
ALSO READ: 'Papa se dar bohot lagta tha': MS Dhoni opens up on his childhood fear and father's strict parenting
Pucovski's Test debut and first-class career
In 2021, Pucovski made his Test debut. He scored 62 runs from 110 balls and shared a 100-run partnership for the second wicket with Marnus Labuschagne. The Indian bowling lineup consisted of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Ravichandran Ashwin, Navdeep Saini and Ravindra Jadeja. He lost his wicket to Saini in the first innings. In the second innings, he was dismissed by Siraj for a 16-ball 10.
Pucovski made his first-class debut in 2017. From 36 games, he has scored 2,350 runs at an average of 45.19, including seven centuries and nine half-centuries. In One-Day cricket, he has 333 runs from 12 innings at an average of 27.75, including one century and two fifties.