Will Pucovski will miss Victoria's upcoming Sheffield Shield clash with Queensland at the Gabba despite making a promising return to domestic cricket against Western Australia last week, as his comeback continues to be managed.
Pucovski played his first Shield match in nearly 12 months in Victoria's opening-round loss to WA in Perth. He made 39 in the first innings, sharing in a century stand with Travis Dean, before being dismissed for a duck in the second as Victoria slumped to an innings and 53-run defeat at the WACA ground. Pucovski has not played in any of Victoria's three Marsh Cup fixtures to start the season with Victoria allowing him to focus on red-ball cricket.
But he has been ruled out of the next Shield clash against Queensland in Mackay starting on Saturday as part of his management given the various issues he has had over the past few years.
There was optimism that he could play close to a full Shield campaign coming off a season of club cricket in England that was almost uninterrupted for Surrey Championship side Weybridge. He played 18 matches during the English summer and did not miss a weekend of cricket up until he suffered a thumb injury late in the season.
Victoria's next Shield game after the trip to Queensland is against New South Wales at the MCG starting on October 26 with Pucovski's availability to be assessed in the lead-up. That looms as Nathan Lyon's Shield return from the calf injury he suffered in the Ashes.