Australian batter Will Pucovski has announced his international retirement due to concussion injuries. The 27-year-old added that it was a "humongous disappointment that is hard to deal with."
Pucovski played just one Test match in his career back in 2021 against India. He was regarded as one of the upcoming batters in the next generation of Australian cricket, but injuries cut short his career.
Pucovski's career saw him suffer due to long-term concussion issues. He has not played since March 2024, when he suffered a severe concussion after being hit by Tasmanian pacer Riley Meredith in a Sheffield Shield game.
An independent medical panel was set up to check on Will Pucovski's recurrent concussion injuries. The panel was formed last year, and they kept track of all the concussion injuries that he survived as a teenager while playing Australian football till his most recent injury.
The panel recommended that he retire from the game. However, he took some time to think about the final decision. There has also been a negotiation going on on his contract, insurance and potential earnings from the game.
Will Pucovski Confirms His Decision To Retire
Will Pucovski confirmed his decision to retire from the game on SEN radio in Melbourne on Tuesday, April 8.
"I wish I was coming in maybe under better circumstances. 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 said.
Pucovski further said that the decision to retire was particularly hard given that he felt that he was back on track for a possible comeback after playing most of the games in the 2023-24 season. He also scored a century in his last match against New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield competition.
"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.
The Australian batter then disclosed the problems he started facing last year when he had his most recent concussion injury. He said that the symptoms lasted longer than ever, and it was the most difficult phase of his life.
"In the couple of months post that [last concussion] I struggled to get anything done, walking around the house was a struggle," he said. "My fiancée was annoyed because I didn't contribute to chores. I was sleeping a lot. From there it's been a tough year, a lot of the symptoms didn't go away which has led me to this decision. The first few months were horrendous, but things didn't leave me" he added saying.
Will Pucovski's International Career Stats
Matches | Innins | Runs | Averae | SR | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tests -1 | 2 | 72 | 36 | 57.15 | 62 |
Finally, Pucovski made up his mind and announced his retirement from the game after playing just one Test match for Australia.
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