Pucovski eyes Shield return, awaits medical clearance

Will Pucovski is a chance of returning to first-class cricket next week after successfully getting through his first club game since suffering his 11th concussion.

The 24-year-old has made himself available for selection for Victoria's Marsh Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania at the Junction Oval beginning next Tuesday after scoring 28 for Melbourne in Victorian Premier Cricket on Saturday.

Pucovski trained today with the rest of the Victorian squad not playing in their Marsh Cup fixture against Western Australia, facing fast bowlers Mitch Perry, Zak Evans and Will Sutherland.

It's not yet known if Victoria will pick the right-handed opener for the match, which starts a month and three days after he left the field with concussion symptoms against South Australia, as they are awaiting clearance from Cricket Australia and Cricket Victoria doctors to allow him to resume playing at domestic level.

Victoria coach Chris Rogers has indicated Pucovski is determined to play on after his latest concussion, which occurred on the fourth morning of their Shield match at Adelaide Oval last month when he was struck in the head by a volleyball in a warm-up drill before play.

That match was Pucovski's first top-flight match since his Test debut in January 2021 and he scored 54 in the first innings but he was unable to bat in the second as Victoria captain Peter Handscomb scored 148 not out on the final day to secure a draw.

Rogers had previously said it was premature for people to suggest Pucovski should walk away from first-class cricket as a result of his ongoing concussion issues.

"There's conversations that are happening in the background. Will's indicated that he wants to keep playing, so we just have to weigh up everything that's happening at the moment," Rogers said on SEN radio last month.

"I think he's pretty hopeful, we just have to have those conversations and make sure that everything's okay. I'm sure that that'll play out."

Rogers' comments echo those from CV's outgoing general manager Shaun Graf, who also previously said Pucovski was determined to keep playing.

"He's realistic about it, but he's still very much in the corner that he wants to keep playing and we'll support that," Graf told SEN.

"However, if the medical advice is contrary to that, we need to have a very hard discussion."

Pucovski missed the first half of this season due to a previous concussion he suffered during preseason training in October as he returned from shoulder surgery, but has consistently been able to perform at Sheffield Shield level even with extended breaks on the sidelines.

He scored 62 in his first Test innings, which was also his first game back following another concussion after being struck while batting in a tour match against the Indians in December 2020.

He has a career first-class average of 53.42 from 25 matches, including a high score of 255 not out.

If he was to play next week it would be a welcome boost for Victoria who are without opener Marcus Harris and fast bowler Scott Boland, who are with the Australia Test squad in Pakistan.

Allrounder Matt Short is also aiming to return for next week's Shield match after injuring his side while batting in the warm-up before last month's Marsh Cup game against Queensland.

The 26-year-old had his first hit in the nets at the Junction Oval today since suffering the injury 13 days ago.

Victoria sits second on the Sheffield Shield table behind WA and remain a chance of hosting the final later this month with victory in their last two regular season matches, against the Tigers and Western Australia at the WACA.