The young Macedonian, Will Pucovski

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Yeah if he was worried you’d think he’d turn his back, or turn forward ducking and putting his hands up with the bat periscope style.

People reflexively protect their head, even if it just putting hands up. He is doing zero protection.
 
Coops93 said:
To be honest I've never been hit in the helmet batting (nets or in game), and rarely took body blows. Short balls aren't an issue for me and I don't say that to big myself up but rather to say it could be why I don't really understand how he could be getting hit this easily to balls that are extremely easily avoided.

The video above and the recent incident were both hit in the head outside the line of off-stump after he moved his head into the line. If he's worried about being hit in the head he's doing a great job at putting his head where the ball is, especially when the ball isn't directed toward his head.
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It seems pretty clear from the last couple of hits that his technique against short bowling is not what it was. In any event this has to be all over as far as an international prospect. He's been smashed in the head twice - and retired hurt - within the space of a few games.
 
Coops93 said:
Another poorly played one where he moves into the line of a short ball that otherwise wouldn't have hit him.

They say he didn't have a weakness to the short ball prior to a few concussions but I'm not sure moving your head into into the line of the ball is something that happens post concussion due to being rattled by a few, that's just poor technique.
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Bingo
 

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When you consider the growing number of ex AFL players in lawsuits about poor concussion handling, you gotta feel this is the prime example of someone who needs to be forced into retirement
 
Not to make this that things were better in the past, but was watching highlights from the 1974-75 Ashes with Greg Chappell hooking Willis off his eyebrows. Glorious.
 
It's gutting for the lad because he can clearly bat*, but with a singular weakness that can lead to some disastrous health repercussions. I read cricket Australia might step in and to be honest I think they have to. He also seems like a really nice guy.

Whether it's a technique or mental block doesn't really matter and in truth it's probably somewhere the in the middle. A panic at seeing the ball dropped short in which the end result is a terrible short ball technique.

From an Australian cricket perspective it's also gutting because we don't have much batting talent in that age bracket and we're not going to be able to capitalise on one of the few top tier talents we did have. Jason Sangha is another whose his career is on the ropes and its looking increasingly unlikely to get anywhere near the return we were looking for.

Fortunately our current teenage class are looking like the best in a long time**, but unless they fast track themselves to international cricket we are looking an interim/purgatory period with the likes of Henry Hunt, Bruce Street level of batters filling the void - decent players who won't disgrace themselves, but have a level of talent that is likely to top out around a high 30's average, and that's if everything goes to plan for them... That being said, I (and many others) thought that about Marnus Labuschagne, so maybe one of those will surprise. Ollie Davies and Aaron Hardie are two that will be looked at closely but they don't resolve the top order conundrum our future has in store.

* You don't put up the first class performances he did, especially earlier in his career, without being a quality bat.

** Which as we know could still amount to very little.
 
The Passenger said:
It's gutting for the lad because he can clearly bat*, but with a singular weakness that can lead to some disastrous health repercussions. I read cricket Australia might step in and to be honest I think they have to. He also seems like a really nice guy.

Whether it's a technique or mental block doesn't really matter and in truth it's probably somewhere the in the middle. A panic at seeing the ball dropped short in which the end result is a terrible short ball technique.

From an Australian cricket perspective it's also gutting because we don't have much batting talent in that age bracket and we're not going to be able to capitalise on one of the few top tier talents we did have. Jason Sangha is another whose his career is on the ropes and its looking increasingly unlikely to get anywhere near the return we were looking for.

Fortunately our current teenage class are looking like the best in a long time**, but unless they fast track themselves to international cricket we are looking an interim/purgatory period with the likes of Henry Hunt, Bruce Street level of batters filling the void - decent players who won't disgrace themselves, but have a level of talent that is likely to top out around a high 30's average, and that's if everything goes to plan for them... That being said, I (and many others) thought that about Marnus Labuschagne, so maybe one of those will surprise. Ollie Davies and Aaron Hardie are two that will be looked at closely but they don't resolve the top order conundrum our future has in store.

* You don't put up the first class performances he did, especially earlier in his career, without being a quality bat.

** Which as we know could still amount to very little.
Click to expand...
Talent is severely overrated but more so in cricket
 
The Passenger said:
Fortunately our current teenage class are looking like the best in a long time**, but unless they fast track themselves to international cricket
Click to expand...
Gone are the days of kids in their early 20s playing test cricket for Aus it seems.

Seems a shame to be saying "Hope these kids can fast track themselves". Early 20s batters was just considered a talented young player who's scored a load of runs as opposed. Not sure it was considered fast tracking back then. Phil Hughes demanded selection at the same age as these guys through FC form. Not the norm I know, but for comparisons sake.

I'm not suggesting half the team was filled with them but it also wasn't that unusual to see it. The fact Green is considered a young project player despite being in his mid 20s is a big sign of that, when players used to be picked well before that by us and still are for other nations.

I do agree they look promising, though. I think we have a few lean years coming up batting wise so hopefully this next crop can warrant selection in their early 20s through form as opposed to fast tracking.
 
Coops93 said:
Gone are the days of kids in their early 20s playing test cricket for Aus it seems.

Seems a shame to be saying "Hope these kids can fast track themselves". Early 20s batters was just considered a talented young player who's scored a load of runs as opposed. Not sure it was considered fast tracking back then. Phil Hughes demanded selection at the same age as these guys through FC form. Not the norm I know, but for comparisons sake.

I'm not suggesting half the team was filled with them but it also wasn't that unusual to see it. The fact Green is considered a young project player despite being in his mid 20s is a big sign of that, when players used to be picked well before that by us and still are for other nations.

I do agree they look promising, though. I think we have a few lean years coming up batting wise so hopefully this next crop can warrant selection in their early 20s through form as opposed to fast tracking.
Click to expand...
I agree its probably worse than it was (with no data to back it up) but at the same time, a lot of that is probably reflective of how great the training and performance management teams are in professional cricket now. They can go much longer and peak way later than if they were mismanaged earlier on - Cummins likely would never have made it back to the Australian team with his injuries even 20 years ago.

But then again, Green has been in the team since he was 21. Pucovski would have gotten a shot a couple years ago if not for his issues. Murphy has proven he's more than capable, but just happens to be in the shadow of one of the top wicket takers of all time.

I think we'd happily test out a few more young batsmen but we simply don't have anyone close to knocking down the door. And our bowlers are up there as some of the best we've ever had - alongside 2 all rounders and some part time spinners that are more than capable, it's just bloody hard to make a case for replacing any of the side that aren't just batters in the past couple years.
 

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icyflakes said:
I agree its probably worse than it was (with no data to back it up) but at the same time, a lot of that is probably reflective of how great the training and performance management teams are in professional cricket now. They can go much longer and peak way later than if they were mismanaged earlier on - Cummins likely would never have made it back to the Australian team with his injuries even 20 years ago.

But then again, Green has been in the team since he was 21. Pucovski would have gotten a shot a couple years ago if not for his issues. Murphy has proven he's more than capable, but just happens to be in the shadow of one of the top wicket takers of all time.

I think we'd happily test out a few more young batsmen but we simply don't have anyone close to knocking down the door. And our bowlers are up there as some of the best we've ever had - alongside 2 all rounders and some part time spinners that are more than capable, it's just bloody hard to make a case for replacing any of the side that aren't just batters in the past couple years.
Click to expand...
Performance management has obviously improved, but remember in the past plenty of players retired way before they were finished because they weren’t paid very well.

Ian and Greg Chappell for example could have gone on. Marsh was safe. Many of those guys from that era give or take were not struggling to hold their place.
 
Coops93 said:
Gone are the days of kids in their early 20s playing test cricket for Aus it seems.

Seems a shame to be saying "Hope these kids can fast track themselves". Early 20s batters was just considered a talented young player who's scored a load of runs as opposed. Not sure it was considered fast tracking back then. Phil Hughes demanded selection at the same age as these guys through FC form. Not the norm I know, but for comparisons sake.

I'm not suggesting half the team was filled with them but it also wasn't that unusual to see it. The fact Green is considered a young project player despite being in his mid 20s is a big sign of that, when players used to be picked well before that by us and still are for other nations.

I do agree they look promising, though. I think we have a few lean years coming up batting wise so hopefully this next crop can warrant selection in their early 20s through form as opposed to fast tracking.
Click to expand...
Possibly, but I also think it's just a reflection of the difference in quality in the players in those age brackets.

Cummins, Starc, and Smith debuted when they were 21 or younger, albeit Smith the batsman was 23 or 24 when he got a crack. Haze was 23 on debut, Warner 25.

The unfortunate reality is that of the last couple of waves of early 20's to come through, none of them have been good enough to displace this generation.
 
Westend said:
Paywall

What does the article imply?
Click to expand...
That the real threat to his career is not concussion but a mental health issue that hasn't been disclosed.

Also that the hard occasional hits to his helmet are not as bad as the smaller, repetitive hits footballers take so perhaps his discussion issues just aren't that serious?
 
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