Pucovski played in Victoria’s first two Marsh Cup and Sheffield Shield games of the new season earlier this month, but he did not play in the last two Marsh Cup games against Western Australia and Tasmania and has not been named in the Sheffield Shield side that will face Tasmania in Hobart on Saturday after requesting for – and being granted – leave.
Cricket Victoria released a statement saying they would continue to provide all necessary support to Pucovski and asked that his privacy be respected during this time.
“Player welfare is always our top priority,” Cricket Victoria general manager of cricket performance Graham Manou said. “We’ll continue to work with Will to ensure he gets the support and space he needs and welcome him back when he’s ready.”
Pucovski, 24, has taken leave from Victoria for personal reasons several times in his short career. These have been separate from his absences because of concussion, concussion-related issues and his shoulder injury.
Pucovski’s previous breaks from the game that weren’t related to his physical injuries had come prior to his Test debut in January 2021. He took a break following his first Shield double-century in October 2018 and then took another break after being called up to the Australia squad in February later that summer for a two-Test series against Sri Lanka. In November 2019, he made himself unavailable for Test selection after playing for Australia A.
But since playing his only Test match, his breaks have been mainly down to physical issues. He dislocated his shoulder in that Sydney Test against India and needed a reconstruction that ended his season. In October 2021, he was concussed while batting in the nets. In February this year, on return from that concussion, he suffered concussion-like symptoms in a game against South Australia and required a break but was later cleared of formal concussion from that incident.