Australian cricketer Will Pucovski, aged 27, announces retirement due to 'concussion'
Melbourne, Apr 8 (AP): Repeated concussions have taken such a toll on Will Pucovski's promising cricket career that he's decided he'll never play the game again.
Pucovski was a precocious talent when he was first selected for an Australia squad in 2019 but he only played one test match — scoring a flourishing 62 on debut against India in 2021 — because of a string of concussion setbacks.
After taking medical advice to retire from first-class cricket last year following a concussion — reportedly his 13th — in a Sheffield Shield match, the 27-year-old batter confirmed in a radio interview Tuesday that he can't play again at any level because of the toll on his physical and mental health.
“The simple message is, I won't be playing at any level again," Pucovski told the SEN network.
"In the couple of months post that (last concussion) I struggled to get anything done, walking around the house was a struggle ... I was sleeping a lot. The first few months were horrendous, but things didn't leave me.
“From there it's been a tough year, a lot of the symptoms didn't go away, which has led me to this decision."
Pucovski was one of the best batters in Australia but didn't make his test debut until he faced India at Sydney in January 2021, posting a half-century in his first innings but then dislocating his right shoulder in a fielding mishap. He needed surgery and was ruled out for six months.
After returning to training in October, 2021, he sustained another concussion while batting and was ruled out of cricket for several months again. Just over a year since his last concussion, the lingering impacts have forced him out of the game.
“When you have symptoms for over a year — and I've had others for numerous years — it can be quite difficult to see how can I get out to play professional sport again when I'm struggling to live my life how I want to," he said.
"The hard bit to come to terms with, to a degree as well, is I know what I was like before I suffered these concussions, and I know what I'm like now.
“My family have noticed a bit of a difference in me as well, and my friends, and that part is quite scary, and it's quite scary for them as well.”
He finished his career with a first-class average of 45.19, including seven centuries and a highest score of 255 not out, as well as the record for the highest opening partnership in Australia's domestic first-class competition, the Sheffield Shield.
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200 parrots die of food poisoning in MP's Khargone district
Khargone (PTI): At least 200 parrots have died on the banks of the Narmada River in Madhya Pradesh's Khargone district due to food poisoning, officials said on Friday.
The carcasses were found in the last four days near an aqueduct bridge on the riverbank in the Badwah area, and a post-mortem report has ruled out bird flu as the cause, they said.
Some parrots were alive during rescue operations, but the toxicity of the food was so severe that they died shortly thereafter, District wildlife warden Tony Sharma said.
The deaths triggered panic in the area after a suspected bird flu scare, but veterinary examinations found no trace of the infection. Forest department officials have banned feeding near the aqueduct bridge and deployed staff at the site for strict enforcement.
Viscera samples from the birds were sent to Jabalpur for further examination, officials said.
According to officials from the veterinary department, food poisoning and improper diet have caused the deaths.
Teams from the veterinary and forest departments, as well as the wildlife wing, have been monitoring the area for the past four days after being alerted by residents.
Veterinarian Dr Manisha Chauhan, who conducted the post-mortems, said symptoms of food poisoning were found in the parrots, with no indicators of bird flu.
People often unknowingly feed birds food that proves fatal to their digestive systems, she said.
Veterinary extension officer Dr Suresh Baghel said rice and small pebbles were found in the stomachs of dead birds.
Prima facie, the deaths seem to be linked to improper feeding, he said, citing pesticide exposure from feeding in sprayed fields and water from the Narmada River as contributing factors.
Visitors to the bridge feeding cooked or leftover food to birds may have proved fatal, officials said.
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