Test opener Will Pucovski has opted for season-ending surgery on his injured shoulder which has failed to respond to treatment. The 23-year-old would have been playing “under duress” for the rest of the domestic summer if he didn’t choose to go under the knife. The young batting star partially dislocated his right shoulder while fielding during his Test debut against India at the SCG in January, after making a first innings half-century, and hasn’t been able to play since. Pucovski will undergo a full shoulder reconstruction, and is looking at a recovery time of at least five months. Choosing surgery now leaves Pucovski with the best part of nine months to rehabilitate and prepare for next summer’s Ashes series when England tours Australia.