One major fear looming over Will Pucovski following the latest update on the prodigy’s concussion battle is whether he’ll have enough cricket behind him to be ripe for the first Ashes Test – and scheduling is set to hamper him.
Australia’s selectors were hopeful that Pucovski would be fit to return for Victoria‘s next Sheffield Shield fixture, to be played against NSW at the MCG from Friday.
But that is now more doubtful than before after Bushrangers coach Chris Rogers revealed the 23-year-old was still experiencing concussion symptoms, following a head knock suffered while receiving throw-downs in mid-October.
In the aftermath of Pucovski’s 10th concussion, Australia captain Tim Paine revealed on SEN radio that the right-hander was the front-runner to open with David Warner in the first Ashes Test.
However, Victoria are scheduled to play just two domestic matches between now and the opening Test of the Ashes, set to begin on December 8 at The Gabba. One is the Sheffield Shield match set to begin on Friday and the other is a Marsh one-day cup game the following Friday.
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Former Australia skipper Mark Taylor is concerned about the schedule Pucovski is met with amid his battle with concussion.
“It makes it very difficult,” Taylor said on 2GB’s Wide World of Sports radio.
“If he doesn’t play (the Sheffield Shield game) I don’t know what cricket he’s going to get.
“And a couple of club games probably isn’t going to cut it.”
Taylor added that he had no doubt rising all-rounder Cameron Green was locked in for the first Test of the Ashes.
The Western Australian made his Test debut against India at Adelaide Oval last summer, before finishing the four-match series with an average of 33.71 and a top score of 84.
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Green then finished last summer’s domestic competitions in scintillating touch with the bat and has begun the new tournaments in promising fashion, too.
He made 61 and an unbeaten 38 as Western Australia trumped South Australia by six wickets in the Sheffield Shield last week.
“At the moment he is (in the XI for the first Ashes Test),” Taylor said.
“He’s in good form this year from what I’ve seen and he finished off last year very well, also. Some big scores in Shield matches…
“And he’s the guy at the moment Australia are trying to bring on.
“So, I can’t see him not playing in the first Test match, unless something obviously happens between now and then in terms of his fitness or something like that.
“But he’s in there.”
Green is likely to bat at six in the first Ashes Test.
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