Will Pucovski to undergo shoulder surgery; out for six months

Will Pucovski, the Australian right-handed batsman, is set to be out of cricket for the next six months after his decision to undergo shoulder reconstructive surgery. The 23-year-old sustained an injury on his right shoulder during the third Test against India in Sydney while diving to stop a ball. Thereafter, he dislocated his shoulder and was ruled out of the fourth Test in Brisbane.

The youngster had a training session with Victoria in the lead-up to the re-start of the Sheffield Shield. But soreness after batting meant that he was ruled out of the match against New South Wales. Following a consultation with the medical experts, he will go through the surgery in Melbourne with Greg Hoy, a renowned shoulder specialist.

Not only will he miss the domestic season, but also the final of the World Test Championship, provided the Aussies qualify for the match in June at the Lord’s Cricket Ground. Earlier, Chris Rogers, former Australian batsman, and current Victoria coach stated that Pucovski was contemplating medical advice.

It’s hard when I think you’re playing not at 100%: Rogers on Will Pucovski   

“He had a net session yesterday, it looked quite sore. It’s definitely his decision, what he wants to do. It’s his career; we’ve got to support that. And that’s in conjunction with the Australia side as well so we’ll support whatever he thinks.

“He will be getting a lot of advice from different people, so I think that will probably become a little bit clearer over the next week or two,” Rogers told.

“It’s hard when I think you’re playing not at 100%. You start to think that’s how you are going to play for the rest of your career. Particularly as the shoulder hasn’t responded to rehab as well he would have liked it to have, so he is probably really considering that option of surgery.

“He will go and talk to the relevant people and we should hear what he has to say. That will include our medical staff as well,” he added.

Pucovski, averaging 53.41 in first-class cricket with six centuries and as many half-centuries, made his debut at the SCG and scored 62 runs in the very first innings he played.