VICTORIAN captain Peter Handsomb hopes batting sensation Will Pucovski will only miss one game after being ruled out of this week’s Sheffield Shield clash at the MCG because of exhaustion.
Pucovski, 20, showed signs of lethargy following his stunning innings of 243 against Western Australia at the WACA last week, his second triple figure score for the Vics in just seven Shield innings.
It was enough for some pundits to suggest a Test debut could come sooner rather than later for the batting wunderkind who became the youngest player since Ricky Ponting in 1994 to score a Shield double-century.
But after batting for more more than a day and facing 313 balls, Pucovski was unable to field on the final day of the match.
He has been undergoing tests to determine his capacity to play again but team doctors couldn’t pass him fit for the match against NSW which begins on Thursday.
“Just after last week he has gone down with a little bit of exhaustion. The doctors and the medical staff have ruled him out for this game and we are hoping he’s right for next game,” Handscomb said on Wednesday.
Will Pucovski scored a big double century against Western Australia last week.Source:Getty Images
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“He was a bit tired (after his innings), which you can imagine after batting for over a day, controlling the game, pretty much batted the entire innings.
“He played unbelievably last week, for a kid of his age to have two big tons under his belt is awesome and shows what he is capable of.”
Handscomb said Pucovski was clearly among the best young players in the country who had shown his capacity to step up to first class level.
But there’s no extra hype around him in the Victorian camp, and they just want Pucovski to focus on playing for his state without worrying about any expectations beyond that.
“He has stepped up to this level pretty quickly which shows when he has that jump, goes to the next level up, he’s good and ready for the competition,” Handscomb said.
Peter Handscomb hopes Will Pucovski will only be out for one game. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)Source:Getty Images
“To say he’s the best (young player) is a tough one given there is a lot of talent around the country. But in terms of stats and what he is putting forward he is right up there with the best.
“I am still getting over his knock last week. It was great the way, even when he was on 180 or 220 he was still playing proper shots and leaving the ball. His mentality was great.
“He’s still early on in his career. He has a great handle on his game at the moment, and we’d still like to make sure he’s a certainty for Victoria, which he is for now, but to just keep going and contributing to games and winning games for us, and when he makes that step, which hopefully he does, he’ll be ready for it.”
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Originally published as Exhausted young star out of NSW clash
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