Will Pucovski

Will Pucovski was earmarked as the of future Australian batting after making a stunning start to his first-class career for Victoria but, aged 27, he was forced to retire on medical advice due to repeated concussions with one Test cap to his name.

He had almost made his Test debut in January 2019 after being selected in the squad to face Sri Lanka in a two-Test series but was overlooked for the in-form Kurtis Patterson. His early career had been challenged by multiple concussions from blows to the head and mental health issues.

He starred for Victoria at Under-19 level scoring four centuries in a national championships and made his List A debut in a tour match against Pakistan in January 2017 on the back of that form then earned his Sheffield Shield debut in the same season. In 2017-18 he played for the CA XI against England before announcing himself with 188 against Queensland in his second Shield game. His season ended two games later against New South Wales when he was substituted out of the game with concussion after being hit in the head by a bouncer.

In the first Shield game of 2018-19 he became just the eighth Australian after Don Bradman, Ian Chappell, Clem Hill, Darren Lehmann, Norm O'Neill, Ricky Ponting, Paul Sheahan and Doug Walters to make a Sheffield Shield double century before the age of 21 when he made 243 against Western Australia at the WACA. But his mental health issues emerged in that match and he needed to take a six-week break from the game.

He made his return in the last Shield match before the BBL and the national selectors felt that was enough to call him into the Test squad. Pucovski looked certain to play against Sri Lanka before Patterson was added to the squad late and got the nod ahead of him. Pucovski needed to leave the squad during the Canberra Test because of his mental health.

He returned to Victoria and was a key part of their Sheffield Shield title. He finished the Shield season with 649 runs at 54.08 from just seven games batting at No.3 and was selected for both the 50-over and four-day Australia A squads to tour England in 2019.

Late in 2019 he withdrew himself from Test consideration due to his mental health but his opportunity came during the 2020-21 Covid season after back-to-back hundreds for Victoria. However, his debut was delayed by another concussion when he was hit in a warm-up game but he at the SCG he scored a composed half-century in the first innings of his Test career only for his series to be ended by a shoulder injury.
ESPNcricinfo staff