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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Delhi CM Rekha Gupta accuses Mamata Banerjee of stalling SIR; TMC hits back
Kolkata (PTI): Alleging that her West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee had approached the Supreme Court to stall the SIR exercise to prevent the identification of infiltrators, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday claimed that the people of the state have made up their minds to dislodge the Trinamool Congress from power.
The TMC countered strongly, urging Gupta to "look into her own backyard" and accused her of making absurd allegations against the TMC government without checking facts.
Addressing participants at the 'Nari Sankalp Yatra' organised by the BJP's women's wing at Science City auditorium here, Gupta alleged that the "hands-off" and appeasement policies of the TMC government had allowed thousands of infiltrators to enter the state in recent years.
She claimed that this had put a strain on basic rights such as access to water, electricity, ration, education, livelihood and the right to vote for genuine citizens.
"She wants to perpetuate this and hence is trying to stall the SIR exercise, which aims at identifying and deporting infiltrators. Imagine a chief minister going to the apex court to argue against an exercise meant to ensure free and fair polls," Gupta said.
The BJP leader alleged that appeasement politics had reached an "alarming level" under the TMC regime.
Raising concerns over women's safety, she claimed that women in the state were not secure despite having a woman chief minister.
Referring to the rape-murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Hospital, Gupta alleged that the state government had failed to respond adequately to such crimes.
She also referred to the alleged rape of a woman medic in Durgapur and another law student on a Kolkata college campus, claiming that criminals had been emboldened to commit brutalities against women.
She alleged that in crimes against women, overall crime incidents and child marriages, West Bengal remained among the top -- "a slur on a state which once led intellectual and social movements and set examples for the rest of the country," she said.
Criticising the state government's welfare initiatives, she said schemes such as Kanyashree were built on "false claims" and asserted that women needed security rather than assurances.
Accusing the state government of blocking central schemes, Gupta alleged that funds worth "lakhs of crores of rupees" had not reached the poor due to non-implementation of programmes such as Ayushman Bharat, PM Awas Yojana and Jal Jeevan Mission by the state.
"You are only interested in renaming projects and taking credit," she said.
Gupta also alleged that the education sector in the state had been adversely affected, saying several state-run schools had closed due to a shortage of teachers and that the government was opposed to the National Education Policy.
Drawing a comparison with BJP-ruled Delhi, Gupta said, "People have already voted out 'Bhaia' (a reference to former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal). Now it is your turn to bid farewell to 'Didi'." Calling upon women to resist what she termed "strong-arm tactics", she urged them to assert their strength, invoking the imagery of Goddess Durga.
"Bengal has the right to live with dignity, and women have the right to live with dignity," she added.
Reacting to Gupta's allegations, West Bengal Women and Child Welfare minister Shashi Panja accused her of making "absurd allegations" against the Trinamool Congress government ahead of elections.
Panja alleged that during Gupta's tenure in Delhi, several incidents had raised serious concerns, including reports of missing young women and a blast near the Red Fort.
She also criticised the air pollution situation in the national capital, claiming that people were struggling to breathe.
The TMC leader said that despite being in power for a year, Gupta was making "tall claims" instead of addressing key issues in Delhi.
Panja further alleged that the Delhi CM visited West Bengal during elections to "peddle false allegations" against the state government.
Rebutting Gupta, the TMC said in a post on X said, "Madam why did you go off-script again? For your edification, here are the cold, hard facts: In total cases of crimes (IPC + SLL), Bengal ranks a respectable 15th, far safer than BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, which languish near the bottom."
"In overall crime rate, Bengal sits comfortably at 28th. Who's second? Your own Delhi. Double Engine Gujarat and Haryana grab 4th and 5th as top-tier crime havens," the TMC said.
"In child marriage, Assam again takes the shameful pole position. And yet you dare lecture Bengal? Stop embarrassing yourself, stop the hypocrisy, and maybe fix the rotting mess in your own backyard before pointing fingers at a state that's outperforming your disasters on every key metric," the TMC countered.
