The WACA is supposedly a spinner’s graveyard.
The likes of Dennis Lillee and Mitchell Johnson have wreaked havoc at the notoriously pace-friendly Perth venue over the generations, yet West Australian spinner Corey Rocchiccioli has relished bowling there over the past 24 months, exploiting the hard decks to generate awkward bounce.
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The 26-year-old, who exceeds six feet, is Western Australia’s leading wicket-taker of the 2023/24 Sheffield Shield with 39 scalps at 29.92. No spinner has taken more wickets than Rocchiccioli this season, sitting comfortably ahead of Queensland’s Mitch Swepson with 30.
It’s been 43 years since a West Australian spinner took more wickets in a Sheffield Shield campaign, with Bruce Yardley claiming 40 scalps during the 1980/81 summer.
“(Rocchiccioli) has absolutely told us about that,” West Australian teammate Cameron Bancroft laughed during a press conference this week.
“He’s all over it.”
Most wickets by a West Australian spinner in a Sheffield Shield season
51 – Tony Lock, 1966/67
46 – Tony Lock, 1968/69
42 – Tony Lock, 1967/68
41 – Tony Lock, 1965/66
40 – Bruce Yardley, 1980/81
39 – Bruce Yardley, 1982/83
39 – Corey Rocchiccioli, 2023/24
Rocchiccioli has transformed himself from a handy bowler that can tie down an end to one of Western Australia’s biggest weapons, helping the side qualify for its third-consecutive Sheffield Shield final. He has also leapfrogged former Test spinner Ashton Agar in the pecking order to become Western Australia’s premier tweaker.
“I’m a pretty optimistic and sometimes naive character choosing off-spin in Perth,” Rocchiccioli told ABC Grandstand earlier this summer.
“The intricate details of using the sea breeze, using my height and using my balance. It sort of forces me to get really good in my fundamentals.
“Sometimes captains and teammates can just give you the ball and ask you to hold ends, but I’ve been asked to take wickets as well, which has sort of allowed my development to grow.”
Rocchiccioli is breathing down the neck of Victoria’s Todd Murphy, widely believed to be Nathan Lyon’s eventual successor in the Test side. Lyon has expressed his desire to continue playing Test cricket until 2027, but Rocchiccioli could be a bolter for next year’s tour of Sri Lanka.
“That belief and that confidence he has in himself has allowed him to do what he’s done this year,” Bancroft continued.
“He’s a good learner. You don’t hear too many spinners say, ‘I can’t wait to come back and bowl spin at the WACA,’ and he’s absolutely embraced that throughout his journey as a professional cricketer. “What he brings for us out there is absolutely huge. Not only does he have times where can take wickets, he can hold up an end really well, allow our quicks to rotate.
“The fact he’s had a good year, it’s a credit to the hard work he’s put in, and he puts in a hell of a lot of hard work.”
Western Australia will face Tasmania at the WACA for the Sheffield Shield final this week, with the hosts looking to clinch a rare three-peat having lifted the trophy in 2022 and 2023.
The reigning champions were third on the Sheffield Shield rankings before last week’s 138-run victory over Victoria, with Tasmania’s loss to South Australia securing Western Australia another home final.
“We have no idea what has transpired in the last week. You couldn’t script it. The gods were towering over us,” Bancroft said.
“There were times this season when we didn’t look like we were going to make the final. We had to dig deep. We feel like we’ve had to work hard.
“I know for our group, (the Sheffield Shield) is the pinnacle of Australian domestic cricket.
“As we saw in the last round, there’s ebbs and flows … all sorts of chaos. I think that’s the beautiful thing about long-form cricket.”
The Sheffield Shield final gets underway on Thursday, with the first ball scheduled for 1.30pm AEDT.
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