Cricketer Will Pucovski cleared to play after panel concludes some of his 11 concussions were something else

A panel assembled by Cricket Victoria and Cricket Australia has concluded that some of Will Pucovski's previously reported concussions did not qualify as «true concussions».

It has been widely understood that the 24-year-old Victorian — who has represented Australia at Test level — has suffered a total of 11 concussions over his injury-plagued career.

The most recent of these came in February, when the batter was substituted out of Victoria's Sheffield Shield Match against South Australia.

In early March, the two governing bodies commissioned a panel — «including independent neurologists with expertise in the management of concussion in sport» — to review Pucovski's case history.

According to a Cricket Victoria article, the panel subsequently concluded that some of those concussions were instead «a form of either post-traumatic migraine or [a] stress-related response».

«Will has made positive steps in his recovery from the injury in Adelaide,» Cricket Victoria's doctor Trefor James was quoted as saying.

«Given that he has made a full and relatively quick recovery, and following the experts' diagnostic formulation, the panel was happy to support Will in his desire to continue playing.

»Concussion management is, by its nature, incredibly complex and I'd like to thank those on the panel who have provided their expertise to allow us to proactively support Will in managing his health and wellbeing."

Since the latest suspected concussion in Adelaide, Pucovski has been playing for both Melbourne Cricket Club and Victoria's Second XI side.

After Victoria's two-wicket victory against Tasmania on Friday, Sheffield Shield coach Chris Rogers was asked whether Pucovski was a chance of returning to the elite side as soon as next week.

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