Will Pucovski becomes the third Australian cricketer, after Glenn Maxwell and Nic Maddinson, to take a break from cricket citing mental health issues.
Will Pucovski's decision meant he was not considered for selection in the Test squad against Pakistan. (Photo: cricketaustralia.com.au)
Young cricketer Will Pucovski has become the third Australian cricketer, after Glenn Maxwell and Nic Maddinson, to pull out of the game citing mental health issues. The decision meant he was not considered for selection in the Test squad against Pakistan.
The 21-year-old conveyed his decision to the team management on Wednesday during the Australia A’s three-day match against Pakistan in Perth.
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The three-day match was seen as a testing ground for some players, including Pucovski, as the selectors were keenly looking for at least two players for the Test squad. However, Pucovski had just scored five in his only knock.
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“We applaud Will for having the courage to discuss his situation with team management in Perth,” Cricket Australia’s (CA) head of national teams Ben Oliver was quoted by PTI.
“Will’s decision not to nominate for Test selection was the right one in the circumstances and one that everyone in the Australian cricket family supports,” Oliver added.
Earlier, one of the best limited-overs batsmen of current time Maxwell shocked the world when he decided to take an indefinite break from cricket on the ground of mental health problems.
His decision came in the middle of the Twenty-20 International (T20I) series against Pakistan and a day after he had hammered a 28-ball 62 in Australia’s massive 134-run victory.
“Maxwell has been experiencing some difficulties with regards to his mental health. As a result, he will spend a short time away from the game,” team psychologist Dr Michael Lloyd said on cricket.com.au.
It was followed by another Australia A cricketer Nic Maddinson who withdrew himself before the above-mentioned three-day match against Pakistan in Perth.
Meanwhile, Australia announced their Test squad for the two-match series on Thursday morning against Pakistan. After Pucovski made himself unavailable, Cameron Bancroft, who had replaced Maddinson in the A-team, and Joe Burns have been recalled.
Paine (c)
Bancroft
Burns
Cummins (vc)
Hazlewood
Head (vc)
Labuschagne
Lyon
Neser
Pattinson
Smith
Starc
Wade
Warner#AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/08QnbZ4TLh— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 14, 2019
Uncapped bowling all-rounder Michael Naser has been included in the bowling attack which consists of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson and Nathan Lyon.
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