Pucovski set to gain shock call-up to Australia Test squad
Victorian talent Will Pucovski is set to gain a shock elevation to Australia's Test squad for the two-match series against Sri Lanka in a shake-up that is expected to included the axing of brothers Shaun and Mitchell Marsh as well as Aaron Finch.
Australia's batting is under the pump after a deflating performance in the four-Test series against India in which no player scored a hundred, with the hosts arguably flattered by a 2-1 series defeat that was completed when rain forced a draw in Sydney.
The three-man selection panel is expected to act, with the Marsh brothers tipped to be omitted from the squad when it is announced in Sydney on Wednesday afternoon.
The big shock is the anticipated addition of 20-year-old Pucovski, one of the brightest batting talents in the country but a youngster who has only played eight first-class matches.
He has made a strong impression in that time, most notably by scoring 243 against Western Australia in Perth in October.
Pucovksi's burgeoning career has been interrupted by a series of worrying head knocks and he has only recently returned from a break from the game that he took to deal with mental health-related illness.
He is seen, however, as a hugely exciting prospect and has been on the radar of selectors, particularly with an eye to the Ashes, this summer.
Shaun Marsh's seven-year Test career would be all but over with his axing while Australian vice-captain Mitchell Marsh and opener Finch were not part of Australia's XI for the fourth Test against India in Sydney.