Former Australian batter Will Pucovski has retired from all forms of cricket due to prolonged after-effects of the latest bout of concussion he suffered 12 months ago. Pucovski last played in the Sheffield Sheild in 2024 when he was hit by a Riley Meredith bouncer and mentioned that he hasn't been the same since then, experiencing 'scary' symptoms. After recommendations from multiple doctors, Pucovski has decided to call it a day and swiftly moved into coaching with the Victoria Premier side Melbourne.
"I'm not going to be playing cricket again," Pucovski, who played just one Test match in his career, told SEN on Tuesday. "It's been a really difficult year, to put it as simply as possible. The simple message is, I won't be playing at any level again," Pucovski added while elaborating on what and how far and beyond the symptoms affected him.
"In the couple of months post that (last concussion) I struggled to get anything done, walking around the house was a struggle. 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," Pucovski added.
The then 23-year-old Pucovski was touted to be the next big thing in Australian cricket and with a 62 on debut against India in Sydney in 2021, he showed glimpses of what he could do but it didn't last with as many as 12 instances of concussion repeatedly hampering his return and recovery and preparation with the last one being the final nail in the coffin.
"When you’re struggling it's hard to make a huge decision. The medical panel recommended I retire and that was really difficult to come to terms with. I felt like I was coming over the hill with a few things," Pucovski said.
"Technically you can't make anyone retire from anything … it got made clear to me it was a strong recommendation, but the final decision ultimately was up to me. Since then, I have spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to find answers, trying to understand what the brain injury is that I have and why have I had all these problems.
"There probably wasn’t a moment that I thought 'This is the day' but things haven't changed. I wanted to hold on to the dream as long as I could but the flip side to that is you want to feel better and live your life normally. "I just don't want to risk doing any more damage to my brain than I've already done," he further said.
Pucovski ended his first-class career with the third-best average for a batter with more than 1,000 runs, scoring2350 runs from 36 matches at 51.40, only behind Ed Cowan (65.44) and Cameron Green (55.33), since his debut in 2017. Apart from coaching, Pucovski also has a commentary contract with Channel 7.
