Will Pucovski suffers shoulder injury; likely to miss action at Gabba

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21 will be remembered for many things but in the years to come people would recall it as the first series in which the world got a glance of youngsters like Will Pucovski, Shubman Gill, Navdeep Saini, Cameron Green and Mohammad Siraj. 

Speaking about Will Pucovski, the Victoria batsman, he made his Test debut finally in the Sydney Test and was almost an immediate hit. The Australian openers had not got a good score in the series and when David Warner lost his wicket early, everyone thought maybe it was just another innings with openers not making any significant contribution. 

But then, the young opening batsman stepped up with a brilliant fifty and showed why he got everyone talking in the domestic circle. However, the opener could find himself on the bench, because of an injury which he suffered during the third Test in Sydney. On Tuesday, in an official statement, Cricket Australia confirmed that the 22-year-old had suffered a shoulder injury while fielding.

Will Pucovski suffered a shoulder subluxation at SCG: Cricket Australia

“Australia confirmed Pucovski suffered a ‘shoulder subluxation’ injury while diving in the field on the fifth day of the third Test in Sydney. A subluxation is a partial dislocation of the shoulder joint when the ball of the upper arm bone partly comes out of the socket in the shoulder,” a statement released on Cricket Australia official website read.

“He will continue rest and rehabilitation over the next two days before a decision is made on his fitness for the fourth Test match,” a Cricket Australia spokesperson said.

Will Joe Burns get another chance? Depends on Will Pucvoski’s injury

The young opener had also missed the first two Tests after suffering a concussion in a practice match in the lead to the series. However, Joe Burns had stepped up and opened in his place, but after poor returns, he was dropped once Pucovski became fit. 

Other than Pucovski, David Warner could also miss the final Test, as he seemed not so comfortable while batting in Sydney. If either of them fails to recover in time for the Gabba Test, Burns might actually get another chance, and this time on his home ground. However, there is no doubt over the fact that the Australian fans would want to watch Pucovski, who has been scoring really big in the Sheffield Shield.