Long-term view rules Pucovski out of first Ashes Test

Will Pucovski’s long-term future has been placed ahead of his more immediate value to Australia’s unsteady Ashes batting line-up as part of a decision to delay a return from his 10th concussion.

Effectively ruled out of contention for the start of the Ashes after being unable to return in time for Friday’s Sheffield Shield game for Victoria against NSW at the MCG, Pucovski will not be part of the national squad in Queensland ahead of the Gabba Test match.

Will Pucovski lets a ball pass on his Test debut against India at the SCG.Credit:AP

Instead, after extensive discussions between Cricket Victoria, Cricket Australia, medical staff and selectors, Pucovski will most likely return via a possible third Shield fixture in mid-November and then a second XI game close to the start of the Big Bash League.

From there, it is plausible that Pucovski could be recalled to the Test squad in the middle of the Ashes, although this week’s choice of options has underlined how much the 23-year-old is being viewed as a precious future proposition rather than one to be rushed back now.

“We recognise how good Will can be, and he’s still so young and there’s so much time left in the game for him,” his state coach Chris Rogers said. “So there’s no need to rush him back into a Test series when he hasn’t played professional cricket in seven months, and still probably not 100 per cent.

“All the people who are in these conversations understand we’ve got an immense talent on our hands, and we want him to be playing in three, to five, to 10 years.

“In this situation there’s a strong desire to get him into that Australian side because he’s such a talented player and a lot of people recognise it, but he hasn’t played for seven months and so we’ve got to be mindful of the fact that we want him and no doubt he does as well to have a long career, so there’s got to be some thought about what is in his best interests, and how that pans out.”

Rogers noted that Pucovski had done an enormous amount of work on how he handles short bowling over the past two years, and that he understood how bowlers would attack him. “It’s always going to be there and it’s up to him to cope with it.”

Pucovski’s unavailability creates opportunity by default for the likes of the 29-year-olds Marcus Harris and Nic Maddinson among other members of the Victorian batting line-up. Rogers, no stranger to dealing with the challenge of facing the likes of Stuart Broad and James Anderson from around the wicket, said Harris had spent much of 2021 tightening his riposte.

“No doubt there will still be that challenge for Harry,” Rogers said. “I think the fact that it’s been widely recognised, so just about every bowler comes round the wicket and targets him straight away, so he’s had plenty of experience in the last 12 months against that and has performed really well.

“We’re seeing him continually improve that and hopefully he gets another opportunity and shows that he’s addressed a couple of those issues.”

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