Pucovski can handle Test, says Taylor
FORMER Australian Test captain Mark Taylor has called on national selectors to take the plunge and pick Victorian Will Pucovski for the upcoming series against India.
Pucovski forced his way into the 17- man Test squad after consecutive double- centuries in the Sheffield Shield this summer.
Despite missing the opening two rounds of the competition, the 22- year- old is the highest run- scorer, with 495 in three innings.
Meanwhile, incumbent opening batsman Burns, pictured, has failed to impress with the bat this season, mustering 57 runs in five innings with an average of 11.40.
Taylor suggested Burns hadn’t done enough to warrant selection, and should make way for the Victorian prodigy.
“Joe Burns averages 38 in Test cricket. He’s been a good, solid player for Australia, without being a great one,” Taylor said on Sunday morning.
“I think it’s time to play young Will Pucovski. He said he’s ready, he made two double- hundreds.
“Pick him while he’s in form, get him in there, because he has the potential to be a player for the next decade.”
Pucovski was named in the Australian Test squad for a two- match series against Sri Lanka in early 2019, but he stepped away from the game, citing mental health concerns.
The break seemingly did wonders for Pucovski, who recently claimed he’s ready for a potential international debut.
“He’s been very open and honest about it, right from the word go, which is not always easy, particularly in the sides that I played in,” Taylor said. “That would have been seen as a sign of weakness. Now, it’s actually seen as a sign of strength.
“I like the fact that Chris Rogers, the Victorian coach, has had a word to him, and said: ‘ Why don’t you bat at the top of the order, take on the opening spot?’
“His openness and his transparency with his mental health issues have really helped him, and I think has set a really good example for young sportspeople.”
Although Pucovski has done everything in his power to earn a Baggy Green, national coach Justin Langer has hinted Australia would field an unchanged XI for the first Test against India at Adelaide Oval.