Left Arm Around

Will Pucovski is just 26 years old.

With over 2300 first-class runs at an average of over 45 opening the batting, he’s long been regarded as one of Australia’s finest prospects.

His undoubted talent even earned him a Test debut against India at the Sydney Cricket Ground in January 2021.

He immediately impressed, striking 62 against an attack featuring Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.

Yet despite his incredible promise and aptitude for scoring big runs, Pucovski has been forced out of a county stint with division two side Leicestershire.

The Victorian opener was scheduled to play the first five rounds of the 2024 championship season, starting against Yorkshire at Headingley on April 5.

He was recently struck on the helmet batting for Victoria against Tasmania in the Sheffield Shield, suffering yet another concussion in a long list of career injury problems.

In the case of head injuries within sport, particularly Pucovski’s experience, one question stands out.

When is enough, enough?

Here is a man enamoured with the game of cricket and scoring runs. Helping his teams win matches.

But with repeated blows to the head and long periods of time on the sidelines, what will the impact of such head trauma have on Pucovski’s long-term health?

Should Cricket Australia step in?

Does Pucovski need to step away from Cricket permanently for the sake of his long-term health?

What are the people around him thinking?

We’ve seen some very serious cases of sportspeople continuing their careers for too long and suffering the consequences later on in life.

For the sake of Pucovski, I hope he is able to make the best decision for him moving forward.

Not a decision that other people could be pressuring him to do.