Will Pucovski’s bright cricket future put on hold as he withdraws from first Test selection
“The absolute priority is for Will as a human being,” said CA’s general manager of national teams, Ben Oliver after the Victorian batsman turned down a certain Test call up to manage his mental wellbeing.
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Will Pucovski caught the red-eye home from Perth on Wednesday night hours after putting his mental wellbeing first and making himself unavailable for Test selection.
The 21-year-old was going to be included in Australia’s 14-man squad for next week’s opening Test against Pakistan in Brisbane but instead flew to Melbourne with his return to the game unknown.
It’s most likely to come with the spotlight elsewhere, either a Sheffield Shield game while the second Test is on, or for his club side Melbourne during the Big Bash.
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But that decision remains in the hands of the prodigiously talented batsman who was praised for his bravery in turning down what seemed near certain Test selection.
“It’s a very unfortunate happening for him once again,” selection chairman Trevor Hohns said.
“He’s a great player, he’s going to be a very good player. Obviously the timing wasn’t quite right for him.”
Test fast bowler Mitchell Starc said it was “concerning” to see another player step away for mental health reasons.
Pucovski’s decision follows that of Victorian teammates Glenn Maxwell and Nic Maddinson in the past two weeks.
“The positive thing is that the guys are feeling more comfortable about being open and honest with how they are feeling whereas in the past they might have just tried to kick on and get through things and it could have built up to be something worse,” Starc said.
Cricket Australia’s new general manager of national teams, Ben Oliver, said Pucovski had reported some “challenges” while with the Australia A team as early as Tuesday night.
“The absolute priority is for Will as a human being. We’ll deal with cricket when the time is right,” Oliver said.
“Despite the opportunities at his feet, he’s still able to recognise there are times when it’s most important to focus on his mental wellbeing.”
It’s the second instance of Pucovski removing himself from cricket while on the cusp of national selection, having also left the Australian squad during the second Test against Sri Lanka in February.
Pucovski’s mental health concerns first came to light when stepped away from Victoria after scoring 243 against Western Australia last October.
The continued issues moved one cricket insider to cast some doubt over whether Pucovski was ready to step in to the cauldron of international cricket.
“It’s a tough environment, especially how much heat is on the Australian team at the moment, that’s my worry with him,” the insider said.
But Victorian captain Peter Handscomb was adamant Pucovski, who played the opening three games of the Sheffield Shield season and scored a century in the opening round was “the future”.
“He’s awesome. He’s going to be amazing. He’s going to be the future,” Handscomb said on Wednesday, unaware of the re-emergence of Pucovski’s mental health concerns.
The growing emergence of mental health issues has prompted CA and the Australian Cricketers Association to conduct significant research in to the area with $13 million invested in to player development and wellbeing.
Among several initiatives is a survey about mental health which has been sent to all players.
Justine Whipper, the ACA’s player development and wellbeing manager, said the results would help them “identify emerging trends in wellbeing and meet the needs of our players”.