"Will have to have a serious conversation" - Tim Paine on Will Pucovski's repeated concussion incidents
Former Australian skipper Tim Paine reckons people around Will Pucovski must have serious conversations with him over his repeated concussion incidents. The Tasmanian recalled how it felt quite bad watching the latest instance happening live.
The Sheffield Shield match between Victoria and Tasmania in Hobart saw Pucovski hit by a bouncer from Riley Meredith. It was only the second ball that the right-handed batter faced and the impact made him go down on his knees. A Cricket Australia (CA) doctor and Victoria physio were out on the field immediately before Pucovski walked off for further assessment.
Speaking on SEN, Paine admitted that it's concerning that Pucovski keeps copping blows on the head frequently and reckons some tough conversations might be around.
"I was watching that live, it wasn't good to watch. Hopefully, he's OK, first and foremost. But I think it is concerning it keeps happening and I think now is probably the time him and his people around will have to have a serious conversation on what's next and which way he is going to attack it. I don't love talking about it, I think everyone knows the issue there and unfortunately, it keeps happening, he keeps getting hit in the head."
It was the second time in 2024 that the 26-year-old experienced a concussion incident as he copped a blow on the helmet while batting in a 2nd XI game on January 22. Pucovski has experienced over 10 such instances in his career.
"Can't give someone advice that you don't know the complete story" - Tim Paine
Paine underlined that Pucovski may have to realize as soon as possible that there's more to life than just cricket.
"You can't give someone advice that you don't know the complete story. I don't know how bad his concussions are, I haven't seen his scans, I'm not a doctor or surgeon and certainly not a brain expert. I just hope he's OK and he's happy. At the end of the day he's a great young talent, an exceptional talent with the bat in hand but life's got to be more important at some stage I would've thought," Paine elaborated.
Pucovski made his Test debut against India in Sydney in 2021.