On a Wednesday afternoon there were — generously — 500 people scattered around the cavernous MCG to witness the debut of a 17-year-old Victorian batsman who has been reflexively and rather haphazardly labelled "the next Will Pucovski".

As Jake Fraser-McGurk became the third-youngest player to represent Victoria we were oblivious to the plight of the current Will Pucovski, who was with Australia A in Perth for a Test match audition against Pakistan.

It wasn't until Thursday morning that it was revealed the handshake exchanged between 21-year-old Pucovski and Australian coach Justin Langer signified his withdrawal from consideration, rather than, as it appeared at the time, his Test selection.

It is both dangerous and disrespectful to speculate about the reasons for Pucovski's decision and particularly about his mental health beyond what he has chosen to make public.

It is enough to say that in a recent interview with Melbourne's Herald-Sun newspaper Pucovski expressed an encouraging self-awareness, concluding: "Mental health is never, 'You're well or you're not'. There's dips and curves and it sort of changes".

Yet equally it would also be irresponsible not to explore cricket's role in the mental welfare of its participants — as Cricket Australia, the Australian Cricketers' Association and Cricket Victoria (which has three batsmen — Pucovski, Glenn Maxwell and Nic Maddinson — taking breaks for various reasons) are now doing.

Across sport similar questions are being asked: Are the demands we make of young athletes too great? Are minds being polluted by social media trolls or excessive commentary box analysis? Is the rate of mental health problems suffered by athletes commensurate with those of people in everyday occupations or disproportionately high?

Without the answers, there are valid concerns particularly for those young athletes entering the challenging environment from which others are taking time out.

For some of us in the MCG crowd, Fraser-McGurk entered this arena as what you could call a "relatable player". He played his junior cricket for Boroondara in the Eastern Cricket Association against my local club, and as an early teen briefly shared bumpy suburban grounds with our weekend warriors in the lowest senior grades.

The common observation of Fraser-McGurk's early-age batting feats was that "he could thump it". Thus he quickly disappeared from the local competition into the pathways and academies from which first-class talent is now drawn.

Fraser-McGurk scored his first Sheffield run with a confident hook to fine leg; a shot that would mistakenly encourage the Queensland bowlers to indulge an apparently keen appetite for the short stuff.

Jake Fraser-McGurk will have to wear the burden of expectation like so many young stars. ( AAP: Michael Dodge )

Just before lunch Fraser-McGurk scampered for three runs to get back on strike when he was entitled to let his captain Peter Handscomb take the last few balls. It seemed the mark of a confident kid.

The chirping of the Queensland fielders towards the young debutant echoed around the empty stadium. Among them, Matthew Renshaw, whose admirably patient Test debut against South Africa under the Adelaide lights three years ago seemed to mark the start of a long international career.

Now after 11 Tests and some excellent performances in English county cricket, Renshaw is grinding his gears in the Sheffield Shield, while others fought to partner David Warner in the first Test against Pakistan.

Thus, where Renshaw was once the prodigy, he is, for now, a reminder of the vast physical and psychological challenges top-flight cricket can present as form fluctuates and opportunities come and go.

Again, you can only speculate on how this might affect the mental health of those who have slid down the steep cricket hill or who are trying desperately to scramble their way up.

The weight of expectation on cricketers will only intensify

For every player who finds cricket's vicissitudes crushing, there are many others who thrive on the challenge. So much so, their greatest problem is finding ways to live without it upon retirement.

Where in everyday life do they find the adrenalin rush that comes with facing a bowler hurling a piece of hardened leather in your direction at 150 kilometres per hour?

This is why it is important to find the intersection between the common factors affecting all athletes and the individual make-up and specific challenges of those who are now taking time out to preserve or enhance their welfare.

In cricket, one shared problem relates to the game's prosperity. With more money comes greater expectation, or at least a heightened sense of public ownership. In turn, the lucrative media deals that fund these wages intensify the spotlight.

Back at the MCG, Fraser-McGurk brought up an impressive half-century, was caught at first slip soon after for 51 and walked off to the loudest ovation the small crowd could muster.

Pucovski (right) has been supported for his decision to stand down from selection consideration. ( AAP: Richard Wainwright )

It says something of the demanding environment in which the game is played that you can't help thinking a neat half-century was better than a century on debut that would have aroused enormous expectations.

The "next Pucovski" would have become the "next Harvey" or the "next Ponting", in the minds of the headline writers at least. Instead, Fraser-McGurk will gain confidence and more opportunities without such a potentially crushing burden.

As for the current Pucovski, pleasingly his once unthinkable decision to decline to be considered for Australian Test selection was received with due concern and respect.

Hopefully Pucovski's candour and that of others putting their mental health before the honour of national or state representation will help provide more insight into how we deal with young players, and he will be back at the crease when he is ready and able to give his all.