Australian player Will Pucovski has announced his retirement from cricket due to long-term concussion issues as the main reason. He made his Test debut for Australia in 2021 against India and was once regarded as the rising star in Australian cricket. But his career has now been cut-short due to recurring concussion problems.
His most recent injury was in March 2024 when he was struck by Riley Meredith of Tasmania during a Sheffield Shield match, leading to another severe concussion. On Tuesday, Pucovski appeared on SEN radio in Melbourne, confirming that he would not be returning to cricket.
Will Pucovski Disheartened To Announce Retirement
“I wish I was coming in maybe under better circumstances,” Pucovski said. “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.”
“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.” as quoted by ESPNCricinfo
Will Pucovski Struggles With Concussion Problems
“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.
“I’ve only just turned 27, the space of concussion is very young. Speaking to a lot of specialists, this is a difficult space to deal with.
“The technology isn’t quite there to understand what is what. When you have symptoms for over a year and I’ve had others for numerous years, it can be quite difficult to see how can I get out to play professional sport again when I’m struggling to live my life how I want to.”
Will Pucovski Wanted To Play Cricket For More Time
“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.
