Will Pucovski suffer injuries upon retiring after taking a hard hit to the helmet?

On Monday, January 22, during a second XI match against South Australia, Victorian batter Will Pucovski was hit on the head by a powerful bouncer and had to be replaced due to injury.When Will Pucovski was batting at 42, he took a nasty hit. When playing a hook shot off a short ball from South Australian seamer David Grant, the 25-year-old appeared to be in a bit of discomfort. Pucovski attempted to bat some more, but in the next over, at an individual score of 43, he was forced to leave the field. This is the twelfth time the Malvern native has been struck in the head and sustained a concussion.

The ball that eventually forced Victorian gun Will Pucovski to retire hurt during his 2nd XI game against South Australia today. Batted on for four balls after being struck before leaving the field of play@wwos #9WWOS #Cricket pic.twitter.com/TPXoZNmXkn

— Will Faulkner (@willzfaulk) January 22, 2024

Will Pucovski who made his lone Test debut for Australia in January 2021, was doing well, according to Cricket Victoria, and he was awaiting the results of a concussion test. Following the event, the right-handed hitter was also observed in the nets.

Will Pucovski reportedly felt lightheaded after taking the hit, but his comeback to the net is very encouraging.

One of the best young cricket players in Australia’s domestic league is Pucovski. But throughout his professional career, he has struggled with mental health issues and concussions. Pucovski had taken a six-week hiatus from cricket during the home summer of 2018–19 in order to address mental health concerns. The next season, he asked Cricket Australia (CA) to not consider him for a Test call-up “due to matters pertaining to mental wellbeing.”

Following his 61-scoring first-inning century in the New Year’s Test against India at the SCG in 2021, Pucovski was forced to be replaced in the starting XI by Marcus Harris because to a shoulder injury. He missed the most of the 2021–2022 season due to concussions he sustained throughout the summer. During a Sheffield Shield warm-up, Pucovski kicked a volleyball into his head, nearly resulting in a concussion.

Pucovski made the decision to step away from the game in October 2022, and he would return to grade cricket in January 2023.