After participating in three Shield titles, the Western Australian offspinner claimed seven wickets in the Sheffield Shield final and has quickly established himself as one of the greatest spinners in Australian domestic cricket.
Offspinner Corey Rocchiccioli woke up at 4 a.m. on the first day of the Sheffield Shield final with a fever. Even though he was completely depressed, he couldn’t stay in bed because Western Australia was vying for three titles.
“I was a little bit iffy…but came to my senses that if I was to pull out I’ve got five days of watching the boys hopefully win,” Rocchiccioli stated. “I simply wanted to help out. “Roll up and cop it,” I said. Simply keep going; there are lots of
Rocchiccioli grittily took his place and was thankful that Tasmania decided to send WA into bat as he enjoyed precious rest on day one. When it was his time to bowl, Rocchiccioli produced a lionhearted effort with 22 overs on a pivotal day two and claimed the only two wickets in the middle session to thwart Tasmania, who could never recover
Rocchiccioli finished with 4 for 48 from 28 overs to help WA gain a decisive 161 first-innings lead. His effort was even more heroic with Rocchiccioli also battling cramps in both his calves.
“It was pretty hard at times. At one stage I went through a litre of lemonade to get some sugar back into me,” he said. “I managed to get through it. Playing in a Shield final, you’ve got no excuses. You roll up and do your job. I found a way and that’s what makes me happy.”
Rocchiccioli helped WA clinch their third straight title in remarkable fashion when he tore through Tasmania’s lower-order just before the scheduled close of play on day four. He finished with 3 for 55 to punctuate a performance that might have been Shield cricket’s equivalent to basketball legend Michael Jordan’s famous flu game.
“I might have called it early doors,” he laughed when asked if the final was the ‘Corey Rocchiccioli flu game’. “I always joke and laughingly say that when I’m sick, I’m sort of out of my own head a little bit.”
Rocchiccioli’s affable personality might soon make him something of a cult figure in Australian cricket as he starts to make a serious claim to being the successor to Nathan Lyon in the Test team. He outshined Todd Murphy, who performed well in six Tests last year, during the season as competition heats up with Australia scheduled for a Test tour of Sri Lanka early next year.
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