Ashes: Tim Paine 'shattered' after finding out about Pucovski's concussion episode
Oct 15, 2021
Melbourne [Australia], October 15 : Australia Test skipper Tim Paine said he was "shattered" after he found out that opening batsman Will Pucovski received a knock to his head and is recovering from concussion symptoms.
The 23-year-old has suffered from nine concussions and is currently managing his recovery in consultation with Cricket Victoria's medical staff. Paine said Pucovski is still hoping to recover at some stage during the Australian summer.
"He's still hoping to be ready at some stage this summer. He's got plenty of support around him, and we know how good he is, so there's no need to rush him at the moment. He's 22-23 years of age, he's got a lot of time in the game if we can get it right," Paine told SEN Hobart as reported by Sydney Morning Herald.
"[It was] shattering when I found out. I've spoken to him a bit the last few days. He is improving slowly," he added.
The Australian skipper feels Pucovski need to be careful in the future with the number of concussions he has had in his short career.
"I don't think it's as bad as some of the others he's had before, but with his history we have to be very careful. I was devastated to hear it's happened again," said Paine.
Pucovski had earlier suffered a shoulder subluxation injury in the Sydney Test against India in January and was eventually ruled out of the fourth and final Test.
Pucovski had later turned to cortisone injections in order to return to the field. The right-handed batsman was named in the Cricket Victoria squad for the Marsh Sheffield Shield clash in February 2021.
He began training for the match against New South Wales but experienced some soreness and was ruled out of the encounter.
The young batsman is in contention to open with David Warner in the Ashes later this year but the injuries have kept him out of the field since he made his Test debut against India.
