Concussions Force Star to Retire

This week, Australian Will Pucovski has confirmed he is officially retiring from the professional game. After succumbing to his first concussion at 16 years old, the promising opening batsman has been plagued with following symptoms, further injuries and mental health battles, leading him to pull out of Australia Tours, turn down professional contracts and ultimately miss out on what he was naturally born to do…score runs. It’s a sad story for every cricket fan and a stark reminder of protection being key when playing the beautiful game.

We hope Will still finds love in the sport despite not having the luxury of spending it out in the middle, which is no doubt where he belongs.

Empty Seats Creates Danger

Bums on seats. An age-old adage. How do you measure the success of sports, musicians, art, culture, or any form of general practice? Bums. On. Seats. If people aren’t going, then the struggle is real. But here's the rub: when the 'Big Three — England, India, and Australia — lock horns as often as they do, it skews the numbers and narrows the global appeal. England's top opponents are the same two teams 42% of the time, India’s 45%, and Australia’s 48%. The disparity isn’t just a scheduling quirk; it’s a sign of a sport at risk of being boxed in by its heavyweights, limiting exposure for the rest and leaving fans of other nations thirsting for a bigger slice of the action. Cricket is in danger of eating itself alive, and India is on its way to becoming the sole proprietor of the sport.

Cricket Or College?

20-year-old Sai Teja Mukkamalla is facing a tough decision. Represent your country, gain experience at the top level and further your growth within your favourite sport…or continue your education at college in software engineering?

Actually, it is not such a tough decision when we put it like that. Especially if he holds the same determination as his father, who is said to have taken an 80% pay cut in 2018 and relocated them both to Hyderabad so he could attend VVS Laxman’s cricket academy. Since then, Sai (born and bred in New Jersey) has made his ODI debut for the USA at 18 years old, already recording a top score of 120* earlier this week debut for his country in T20. Oh, and the top score was 52 in their victory. Follow your nose, Sai. Cricket over college, always.

Shot of the Week

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Issue: Weekly Picks - Medically Retiring At 26
Publisher: J. LaLonde
Editor-At-Large: Angus Wilson
Contributing Writer: Ollie Goodwin