Pucovski 'unlikely' for Shield re-start, surgery an option

Will Pucovski has been all but ruled out for the resumption of the Marsh Sheffield Shield season next week as he recovers from a shoulder injury sustained during his Test debut last month.

Victoria coach Chris Rogers said today Pucovski is "unlikely" to take the field for the Shield clash against New South Wales at the SCG starting next Wednesday, with surgery remaining an option for the young gun.

Rogers said the 23-year-old, who impressed on debut for Australia against India before damaging his right shoulder while diving to stop a ball, will look to be fit for the next game against NSW at the MCG from February 25.

But having pulled up sore at training on Thursday, there's a question mark over Pucovski’s return to competitive cricket.

"He had a net session, it looked quite sore," Rogers said.

"We are going to see how it pulls up but just going on what we probably observed, and how he felt (on Thursday), it is probably unlikely he is going to be able to get up for this first Sheffield Shield game.

"We will look to target the second one back in Melbourne."

It remains possible Pucovski will take an extended period of time out of the game to remedy the issue, with surgery an option.

With the Test tour of South Africa postponed and Australia needing others results to go their way to qualify for the World Test Championship final in June, Pucovski's next chance on the international stage could come in a proposed home Test against Afghanistan at the start of next summer, which will be followed by a home Ashes series.

Rogers said Pucovski would have a significant say on his plans over the coming months in conjunction with Cricket Victoria and Cricket Australia medical staff.

"It's definitely his decision, what he wants to do," Rogers said.

"It's his career, we've got to support that.

"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.

“It's hard when you're playing not at 100 per cent. 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, 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."

Pucovski contributed 62 and 10 in his first Test outing for Australia and looked assured at the top of the order before being sidelined for the series finale at the Gabba.

He earned a chance at international level on the back of his stunning Shield form last year, which included an unbeaten 255 against South Australia in October and 202 against Western Australia in the following game.

While Pucovski is under a cloud, Victoria will welcome back James Pattinson for their Marsh One-Day Cup opener against the Blues on Monday.

Pattinson missed the early summer Shield hub in Adelaide while at the IPL with the title-winning Mumbai Indians and was an unused squad member for the Test summer, while he also injured his ribs in a freak mishap at home over Christmas.

Having not played since he represented Australia A in December, he recently made his return to the field for Dandenong in Victorian Premier Cricket.

Pattinson has played three games for the Panthers and grabbed five wickets at 11.4 apiece, with Rogers encouraged by the pace ace's performances for his club side.

"He wants to get out there, he is a natural competitor. He wants to be on the park as much as he can," he said of Pattinson.

"But if we look at the schedule and project the amount of bowlers they might bowl on average, I think we'll have to manage him and the other bowlers as well.

"We'll look to see when we can use him the best, but I wouldn't expect him to play every game ... but we’ve got to try and find the right times.

"The good thing for us is he is ready to go. He probably just needs a bit more bowling under his belt, but we expect to get that pretty shortly."