MELBOURNE: Australia Test opener Will Pucovski is to have surgery on his right shoulder and is likely to be sidelined for up to six months, his domestic side Victoria said on Thursday.

Pucovski sustained the injury on his Test debut against India in Sydney last month when diving for a ball in the field. He had also missed the first two Tests with concussion after being hit on the head in a warm-up game against the tourists.

The 23-year-old trained with Victoria before the resumption of the Sheffield Shield season but experienced some soreness after batting in the nets last week.

After consulting medical experts, Pucovski will now undergo reconstructive surgery on his shoulder and miss the rest of the domestic season.

“The medical advice is this is the best way forward for Will to prepare him for the 2021-22 season,” Cricket Victoria’s general manager of cricket Shaun Graf said in a statement. “We’ll work closely with Will throughout his rehabilitation and look forward to seeing him back playing for Victoria and Australia later this year.”

The timing of the surgery should allow Pucovski to fully recover ahead of the home Ashes series against England, which is scheduled to begin in November.

Published in Dawn, February 19th, 2021