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After suffering a blow to the head during a 2nd XI
game last week, Will Pucovski has been ruled out of Victoria’s Sheffield Shield
match against South Australia due to delayed concussion symptoms.
During a match at Adelaide’s Karen Rolton Oval,
Pucovski, 25, was hit in the head by South Australia’s David Grant while
attempting a pull shot, and he had to retire injured. But he cleared his first
concussion test and was able to return to hitting. He proceeded to score 89
runs off of 146 balls, which helped Victoria win, but as a precaution before
the Shield season resumed this week, he was removed from the game after the
first innings.
“Will passed the relevant tests following the
knock in Adelaide last week but has subsequently experienced symptoms over the
following days,” Hussey said. “We’ve spoken to our medical staff and
the advice is clear that he won’t be able to play this match. While he’s in
otherwise good spirits, it’s important that Will focuses on recovering with the
support of our broader team.”
Pucovski is thought to have suffered up to twelve
concussions during his career, starting when he was a junior and participating
in several sports. After spending the winter playing club cricket in England,
it was believed that he would have an unhindered summer for Victoria. As part
of his continued management, he did miss one Shield match against Queensland,
but he did participate in five of the first six before the BBL break.
Pucovski has not been able to play a complete domestic
season since making his Victoria debut in February 2017. The closest he has
come was during the 2019–20 season, when he played six Shield matches, four
List A games, and the first half of the summer for Victoria before taking an
extended break in December and not returning until the 2020-21 season.
Pucovski has signed a short-term deal to play for
Leicestershire in the first five games of the County Championship season
starting in April.