Pucovski Bids Farewell to Cricket Career Due to Concussion Issues

Pucovski Bids Farewell: Will Pucovski declared his retirement from cricket, citing a “humongous disappointment that is hard to deal with” as the reason for his injury.

After dominating first-class cricket for Victoria at an early age, Pucovski, 27, was hailed as a long-term mainstay at the top of the order in the Australia Test side. He played one Test match in 2021 against India.

However, Pucovski’s chronic concussion problems have ended his career. He hadn’t played since March 2024, when Riley Meredith of Tasmania struck him during a Sheffield Shield match, causing a serious concussion.

After Pucovski’s number of concussions during his athletic career was believed to be in the mid-teens, starting with his first head knock while playing Australian rules football as a teenager, an independent medical panel was called in last year to evaluate his future.

Although Pucovski needed some time to decide, the panel advised him to withdraw from the game. He has also been negotiating his contract, insurance, and possible lost income.

On Tuesday, Pucovski said on Melbourne’s SEN radio that he will never again play cricket.

“I wish I was coming in maybe under better circumstances,” said Pucovski. “I will no longer be playing cricket. To put it simply, this year has been quite challenging.

“I believe it would take me many hours to go you through the entire process. However, the straightforward message is that I will no longer play cricket at any level.

Given that he believed he was back on track in the 2023–24 season after playing the most first-class games in a season and scoring a century in his second final game against New South Wales, Pucovski said the decision was very difficult.

“After that century in Sydney, I thought from a personal point of view things were starting to click for me,” he stated. “In order to do well on the pitch, I worked extremely hard to get everything perfect off it.

“Playing for Australia was always my goal, and I finally got the chance to do so in 2021. My goals didn’t end there. That guy who led the batting unit was what I want to be. I desired to participate in 100 Tests.

“Unfortunately, one Test is where it ends.”

Pucovski described the challenges he faced after his most recent concussion last year. According to him, the symptoms persisted longer than he had ever experienced, making this the most difficult year of his life to date.

“In the couple of months post that [last concussion] I struggled to get anything done, walking around the house was a struggle,” he stated. “I didn’t help out with tasks, which irritated my fiancée. I was getting a lot of sleep.

“It’s been a difficult year since then; many of the symptoms persisted, which is what made me make this choice. Things didn’t abandon me, even if the first several months were terrible.

“The age of concussion is really young; I just turned 27. Many experts agree that this is a challenging area to navigate.

“The technology to distinguish between what is what is still lacking. It can be challenging to understand how I can return to playing professional sports when I’m having trouble living my life the way I want to when you’ve had symptoms for more than a year and I’ve had others for many years.”

Pucovski did not want to formally announce his retirement until he had exhausted every situation that could offer him another opportunity to play, even though the medical panel had recommended his retirement last year.

“In my head, I didn’t want to make an official call until I was symptom-free,” Pucovski stated. “Making a big decision is difficult when you’re having difficulties. It was incredibly hard for me to accept the medical panel’s recommendation that I resign. I had the impression that I had a few things to bring.

“It was explained to me that it was a strong recommendation, but in the end, it was up to me to decide whether or not to force someone to retire.

Since then, I’ve devoted an absurd amount of time to researching the cause of my problems and figuring out what kind of brain injury I have.

“I don’t think I ever thought, ‘This is the day,’ but things haven’t changed. The desire to feel better and lead a normal life is the opposite of my desire to cling to the dream for as long as possible.

“I just don’t want to risk doing any more damage to my brain than I’ve already done.”

According to Pucovski, his battle with the symptoms will continue when he retires. He continues to struggle with problems that will affect him for years to come.

Pucovski remarked, “It’s complicated,” One aspect of it is the symptoms related to mental health. In addition to the exhaustion, which is rather severe, I also frequently have headaches.

“I have a lot of trouble with left-sided tasks. I get nauseated and lightheaded if something is going on in my left side. Motion sickness is a problem for me.

“At 27, I still have a lot of life ahead of me and a lot of goals I want to accomplish. It’s awful enough that I hoped to play for another fifteen years and it’s taken away. It’s frightening when the symptoms persist, but at least I know I won’t be struck in the head again.

“I am aware of who I am now and who I was prior to these concussions. My friends and family have observed a change in me, which worries both of us.

According to Pucovski, he will continue to play the game. He has already agreed to serve as head coach of Melbourne, his Victoria Premier team, for the 2025–2026 campaign. He may eventually go back to his prior work as a television commentator.