Will Pucovski announces retirement from cricket due to concussion battles

Tipped to be a long-term fixture at the top of Australia's Test batting order, Pucovski's career was unfortunately derailed by repeated head injuries. He played just one Test match in 2021 against India, but his early success in first-class cricket for Victoria had marked him as one of Australia's most promising talents.

His final match came in March 2024, when he suffered a serious concussion after being struck by a bouncer from Tasmania's Riley Meredith during a Sheffield Shield game. It was the latest in a long line of concussions, with estimates placing the total number of head knocks in the mid-teens -- some dating back to his teenage years playing Australian Rules football.

Due to the frequency and severity of his concussions, an independent medical panel was brought in last year to assess his future in the sport. While the panel advised him to step away from playing, Pucovski took time to consider his options, factoring in ongoing discussions regarding his contract, insurance, and potential loss of income.

Speaking on Tuesday, Pucovski said the decision was especially tough as he had felt he was finally finding rhythm during the 2023-24 season.

"I wish I was coming in maybe under better circumstances," Pucovski said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.

"I'm not going to be playing cricket again. It's been a really difficult year to put it as simply as possible," he added.

"I'd need a few hours, I think, to take you through the whole journey...but the simple message is I won't be playing cricket at any level again," he noted.

He played more first-class matches than in any other season and scored a century in his second last game against New South Wales.

"After that century in Sydney, I thought from a personal point of view things were starting to click for me," he said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.

"I put a mountain of effort into getting things right off the field to be good on the field," he added.

"It had always been my dream to play for Australia, I found myself in that position in 2021. My ambition didn't stop there. I wanted to be that guy that was a leader of the batting unit. I wanted to play 100 Tests," he noted.

"Unfortunately, one Test is where it ends," he said.

Although the panel had recommended retirement last year, Pucovski delayed the announcement, determined to explore every possible avenue to return to cricket.

"In my head, I didn't want to make an official call until I was symptom-free," Pucovski said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.

"When you're struggling it's hard to make a huge decision. The medical panel recommended I retire and that was really difficult to come to terms with. I felt like I was coming over the hill with a few things," he added.

"Technically you can't make anyone retire from anything...it got made clear to me it was a strong recommendation but the final decision ultimately was up to me," he noted.

"Since then I have spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to find answers, trying to understand what the brain injury is that I have and why have I had all these problems," he said.

"There probably wasn't a moment that I thought 'This is the day' but things haven't changed. I wanted to hold on to the dream as long as I could but the flip side to that is you want to feel better and live your life normally," he added.

"I just don't want to risk doing any more damage to my brain than I've already done," he noted.

"There's the mental health symptoms which is one part of it. Then there's the fatigue, which is quite bad, I get regular headaches," he said.

"I really struggle with things on my left side. If I have things happening in my left I feel sick and dizzy. I struggle with motion sickness," he added.

"At 27, I have so much ahead of me and I have so many things I want to achieve in my life. I wanted to play another 15 years and that gets taken away which is bad enough. At least I know I won't get hit in the head again, but when the symptoms are ongoing, it's frightening," he noted.

"I know what I was like before these concussions and I know what I am now. My family and friends have noticed a difference in me and that's scary for me and for them," he said.

Nevertheless, Pucovski expressed his desire to remain connected to the game. He has already committed to taking over as head coach of his Victoria Premier club, Melbourne, for the 2025-26 season. He has also previously appeared as a television commentator and may consider returning to the broadcast space in the future.

Across his first-class career, Pucovski amassed 2,350 runs at an average of 45.19, including seven centuries, three of them double tons.