Fears for young gun
VICTORIAN cricket has been rocked by revelations that batting sensation Will Pucovski will take an indefinite break from cricket to deal with a mental-health issue.
Pucovski, 20, thrust his name into Test conversations with a stunning 243 last week in Perth in just his seventh Sheffield Shield innings. It convinced plenty, including Steve Waugh, that the batting prodigy was ready for Tests.
Cricket Victoria officials confirmed Pucovski was dealing with off-field issues.
It makes his WACA Ground innings all the more impressive and comes as a hammer blow.
Officials were restricted in how much they could say about Pucovski’s condition, but confirmed he won’t return to the field until he is ready.
“Will’s health remains our highest priority and Cricket Victoria’s medical staff will continue to provide support to Will during this time,” Cricket Victoria’s Dr Trefor James said.
Cricket Victoria general manager Shaun Graf said it would continue to do what’s best for Pucovski.
“Will is a terrific young player and we need to do what’s best for him at this time,” he said.
Last week Pucovski became the youngest batsman since Ricky Ponting to score a Sheffield Shield double-century and added his name to a list of just nine, including Donald Bradman, to reach the mark before age 21. While his early career has also been plagued by concussions, with two last summer impeding his progress, his talent has not gone unnoticed.
Waugh said yesterday that of all the talented young batsmen in Australia, Pucovski was the one he would elevate to the Test side.
The former Test skipper, who has seen a lot of Pucovski in junior representative sides, said he was one of a rare breed of batting prodigies who has all the tools to wear the baggy green before he turns 21.
“There’s some good kids coming through. But I think Pucovski is ready to be picked now,” Waugh said. “I’ve seen him in the under-19s and he had an adult head on young shoulders when he was 17 and 18 and scoring hundreds. He’s got a really good temperament, he knows how to score runs.
“He was the one kid I identified as being ready. He’s got the right temperament and that’s the key.”