Former Australia opening batsman Will Pucovski yesterday retired from cricket at the age of 27 after a string of concussions, saying he would not risk “any more damage to my brain.”
Free-scoring batsman Pucovski was earmarked for greatness after he made his Australia debut as a 22-year-old in 2021, scoring an impressive 62 against India in the third Test in Sydney.
However, it was to be his sole international appearance after he dislocated his shoulder while fielding in that match, one of a series of injuries and concussions that derailed his promising career.
Photo: AP
He has not played since March last year, when he was struck by a bouncer, and yesterday said he was calling time on playing cricket.
“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,” he told SEN sports radio. “I just don’t want to risk doing any more damage to my brain than I’ve already done.”
Pucovski was pegged as a rising talent after forcing his way into a star-studded Victoria state team as an 18-year-old, but he was susceptible to short-pitched bowling, sustaining more than 10 concussions in his career, while a medical panel last year recommended that he give up the game.
Pucovski said he was still experiencing the effects of so many blows to the head.
“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,” he told SEN.
“I really struggle with things on my left side. If I have things happening on my left, I feel sick and dizzy. I struggle with motion sickness,” he said. “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.”
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