Australia v Sri Lanka Test series: Aussies turn to young gun Will Pucovski in bid to bolster batting

Will Pucovski has been added to a revamped Australian outfit, with selectors putting the broom through Justin Langer’s squad. But it hasn’t been an easy road for the 20-year-old prodigy, as he reveals here.

Will Pucovski scored 243 against Western Australia earlier this season.

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Will Pucovski could go straight from club cricket to Test cricket after the 20-year-old Victorian batting prodigy’s shock elevation to the Australian squad for the two-match series against Sri Lanka.

National selectors took an axe to the underperforming group after Australia’s 2-1 loss to India and Pucovski’s capacity to “go big” earned him a call-up along with Queenslanders Joe Burns and Matthew Renshaw.

Veteran Shaun Marsh, his brother Mitch, plus Victorians Aaron Finch and Peter Handscomb were among the casualties as selection chairman Trevor Hohns said it was necessary to “revamp” the Test team.

Will Pucovski scored 243 against Western Australia earlier this season. Picture: AAP

Should Pucovski debut at the Gabba on January 24, he would the youngest Australian to do so since Renshaw played his first Test in 2017.

Pucovski has only played eight Sheffield Shield matches for Victoria but has already made two hundreds; 188 in just his fifth innings and then a mammoth 243 against West Australia last October which thrust his name in to the national spotlight.

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Following that effort, Pucovski was forced to step away from the game to deal with mental health issues, and he missed nearly two months of cricket.

But he returned for the final Shield game before the Big Bash break and standing in his brand new Cricket Australia team shirt said he was feeling as good as he had for a long time.

Pucovski, who doesn’t have a BBL contract, said he had built a strong team around him, had developed mechanisms to cope with all stresses, and was in the perfect place to receive the “shock” call from Hohns.

Will Pucovski took a mental health break after his double century. Picture: Mark Stewart

“I was at club training for the conversation last night, the name popped up on the phone and my heart skipped a beat,” Pucovski said with a beaming smile on his face.

“I feel like I have done quite a bit of work over the past few months and was able to play that last Shield game and loved every minute of it. I feel like I am back in action.

“I’m feeling really good, as good as I have felt I a really long time. I’ve met some people along the way who have helped me turn things around. There is probably no better time to get exciting news like I have in the last 24 hours.”

Pucovski was at club training in Melbourne on Tuesday night when he got the call from Hohns.

Shaun Marsh looks to have been squeezed out after his failures in the India series. Picture: Getty

He’ll play for Melbourne on Saturday too before heading to Hobart to play in a Cricket Australia XI against Sri Lanka, then go on to join the Test squad in Brisbane.

“If I get a game it’d be amazing and if not it’d still be awesome to be part of the squad,” he said.

“Either way I’m a pretty happy 20-year-old kid today, so that’s awesome either way.”

Hohns said Pucovski had been on the selector’s radar since setting a run-scoring record at the national under 19 championships in 2016 where Pucovski scored four hundreds, and that his Shield performances had been “outstanding.”

Australian batsman Aaron Finch has been axed ahead of the Sri Lanka series. Picture: AAP

And Hohns said Pucovski’s mental health issues were not a concern.

“We obviously check on our players these days, we get reports, whether it’s Will or anybody else and all reports are that he is fine and available to play,” Hohns said.

“That becomes a management issue with the coach, team manager and players around him as well. But right now we don’t have an issue with that at all.”

TEST SQUAD FOR SRI LANKA TESTS

Tim Paine (capt), Josh Hazlewood (vc), Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Will Pucovski, Matt Renshaw, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle

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Originally published as Australia v Sri Lanka Test series: Aussies turn to young gun Will Pucovski in bid to bolster batting