"I’d say now it’s unlikely he will play in the first Test" - Victoria coach rules Will Pucovski out of the Ashes series opener in Brisbane

Australia have suffered an early blow to their Ashes hopes as opener Will Pucovski is likely to miss the series opener in Brisbane. Will Pucovski's state coach Chris Rogers ruled the youngster out of Victoria's next Sheffield Shield fixture, thereby hurting his availability for the Gabba Test as well.

Pucovski, a highly promising domestic batsman, sustained his tenth concussion during a practice session last month. While the 23-year old seemed to be on track, recent reports reveal his comeback is uncertain. Thus, it's a significant blow for the youngster.

Chris Rogers believes Pucovski's availability is likely to come midway through the series as he is yet to recover from a concussion. The former Australian opener told the reporters, as quoted by Perth Now:

"It’s no doubt a setback. I’d say now it’s unlikely he will play in the first Test. He hasn’t quite recovered as well as hoped to play in this Shield game from the concussion. So in discussions with the medical team and the national selectors, it was felt we give him a bit more time before we select him to play for Victoria."

Pucovski enjoyed a promising debut against India earlier this year in the Sydney Test. The right-handed batsman made 62 in his first Test innings. However, a shoulder injury kept him out of the subsequent Brisbane Test.

"Pucovski wants to play for Australia for a long time to come" - Chris Rogers

Chris Rogers. (Image Credits: Twitter)

Chris Rogers revealed that Pucovski is keen to play as it's been a frustrating time for him. However, the 44-year old underlined the need to allow him more time to recover before facing formidable opposition.

"No doubt there’s a lot of frustration for him, he wants to be playing. He hasn’t played for seven months and to walk straight back into the cauldron and have to perform against very good opposition, that is going to be really difficult. The decision is to look after him and allow him a bit more time to prepare in the right way rather than rush him into matches that are going to have a lot of intensity and a lot of scrutiny for him. Of course he wants to play for Australia for a long time to come."

The 23-year old's absence from the first Test means Usman Khawaja or Marcus Harris are likely to take his spot at the top. Khawaja, in particular, has been in terrific form, topping the run-scoring charts this season. He has so far amassed 326 runs in three games at 81.50.