Pucovski confirms retirement from all cricket after difficult year

One-Test opener Will Pucovski has confirmed his retirement from cricket, admitting he is still suffering "scary" symptoms from repeated concussions.

The Victorian last played in the Sheffield Shield in March 2024, when he retired hurt after being hit on the helmet by a Riley Meredith bouncer against Tasmania.

Pucovski's official announcement comes after a medical panel recommended he retire.

The 27-year-old's transition into coaching has been confirmed, with Victorian Premier side Melbourne announcing him as their head coach, while he has already taken on a commentary role with Channel Seven.

Pucovski said his life had changed and it hadn't been easy in the 12 months since his last game.

"I'm not going to be playing cricket again," Pucovski told SEN on Tuesday.

"It's been a really difficult year, to put it as simply as possible. 

"The simple message is, I won't be playing at any level again.

"In the couple of months post that (last concussion) I struggled to get anything done, walking around the house was a struggle.

"My fiancée was annoyed because I didn't contribute to chores. I was sleeping a lot.

"From there it's been a tough year, a lot of the symptoms didn't go away, which has led me to this decision. 

"The first few months were horrendous, but things didn't leave me."

Cricket Victoria responded with a statement on Tuesday, saying only that it "acknowledges" Pucovski's comments and that it has been in "ongoing conversations with Will and his management for a considerable period of time".

"We have been actively involved with Will since his debut in 2017 and remain committed to working on the next steps with he and his team," read CV's statement.

Pucovski will go down as one of the greatest 'what-ifs' among Australian cricketers after registering 62 on debut against India at the SCG in 2021.

He was included on Victoria's men's contract list for last season when it was announced, but did not play or train with the squad during the summer after an expert medical panel (convened following his last concussion) recommended he should stop playing.

But Pucovski said he had waited until now to make an official call.

"When you’re struggling it's hard to make a huge decision," he said.

"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.

"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.

"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.

"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. 

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

Pucovski finishes his first-class career with 2,350 runs from 36 matches, with his Sheffield Shield average of 51.40 third to only Ed Cowan (65.44) and Cameron Green (55.33) for batters with more than 1,000 runs since his debut in February 2017. 

He sent a reminder of his class in his second-to-last game he played with a superb 131 in February 2024 against a NSW attack featuring Test spinner Nathan Lyon and internationally-capped quicks Jackson Bird and Chris Tremain.

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

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

"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. 

"Unfortunately, one Test is where it ends."

Pucovski was part of Victoria's Sheffield Shield-winning side in 2018-19 and together with Marcus Harris he holds the record for the highest partnership for any wicket in the competition's history (486 v South Australia in October 2020). 

The 27-year-old revealed he was still dealing with serious side-effects of concussion including fatigue, headaches and motion sickness, as well as mental health concerns that had been a challenge throughout his career.

"It's complicated. 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," Pucovski 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.

"Yes (it's scary), 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.

"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."

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