Though more than 13 years separates them apart in age, the pair were spotted in a lengthy conversation at training on Friday, and shared a private net session after the rest of the team headed into the rooms.
In the opening rounds of the Sheffield Shield, Paine leaned out the passenger seat as he slowly drove past Pucovski, who had peeled off another double ton, and called out dryly, according to a report on cricket.com.au: “Made a few runs, have you?”
Loading
“What doesn’t he say, Tim? It was probably a lot of general chit chat, him revving me up saying he’s better than me at FIFA or something like that, which isn’t true,” Pucovski said on Friday. “We discussed anything and everything, whether it’s cricket or outside cricket – it wouldn’t have been anything too out of the ordinary.”
The upcoming game for Australia A against the touring Indians was set to be a head-to-head battle between Pucovski and Burns for a spot at the top of the order but with Warner injured the pair are set to open the batting together in the first Test.
While Burns headed to Byron Bay for rest and relaxation after the Shield hub, Pucovski spent his break training at Victoria’s Junction Oval base and down the coast from Melbourne mentally preparing for the biggest summer of his burgeoning career.
Pucovski has been in Test and “A” squads before, only to leave citing mental health concerns but he is confident the work he has put into his mental health and wellbeing will hold him in good stead for the demands at the top level.
Warner’s strong relationship with Burns was given as a reason why selectors were unlikely to make a change, now it’s Pucovski’s turn to build chemistry with the Queenslander. The pair have largely moved and played in different circles but Pucovski said they get along well.
They do not have the left-right point of difference which some feel is the key to a successful opening partnership. In fact, they will be Australia’s first right-handed opening combination since March, 2000, when Michael Slater and Greg Blewett fronted up to New Zealand in Wellington.
The importance of batting in partnerships may seem overstated to some but at the top level where margins are so fine the ability to sense when your teammate at the other end is vulnerable can be crucial for survival.
Loading
“You go through stages where one player might be more fatigued or struggling a little bit in the middle and the other tries to get them back on track, or vice versa,” Pucovski said. “Just one of those things where if you know how each other work, more on a human level, that generally makes a pretty good partnership.”
As much as Pucovski wants to keep a lid on it so close to realising a boyhood dream, the thought of taking on Jasprit Bumrah and India’s powerful pace attack under lights in Adelaide has him stirred.
His only experience to date is from the other side of the fence at the inaugural day/night Test in 2015.
“It’s one of those things growing up that you never really thought would ever happen,” Pucovski said. “I just happened to have been in Adelaide at the time and we went down and watched an hour or two and it was an incredible atmosphere.
“So if I do get that opportunity I’ll be pretty excited.”
Andrew Wu writes on cricket and AFL for The Sydney Morning Herald
Most Viewed in Sport
Loading
