Australia’s Corey Rocchiccioli has been delivering consistent performances in the Sheffield Shield cricket and could be in line for an international call-up for the Sri Lanka Test tour.
The ardent followers of the game have been pushing for Corey Rocchiccioli’s call-up to the Australian cricket team for a while. The upcoming tour of Sri Lanka was a perfect opportunity for the world champions to try him out but they decided to go with another offie Todd Murphy and left-arm orthodox spinner Matt Kuhnemann alongside Nathan Lyon.
Murphy and Kuhnemann were part of the India tour in 2023 and had decent showing, so they were given the preference. However, Kunhemann suffered a thumb injury in a recent Big Bash League game and had to undergo surgery on Friday. The timeline for his return is unclear so there could be a spot open.
Born in Perth, Western Australia, you could say Rocchiccioli made an odd choice to take up the off-spin bowling craft, considering the pitches in that part are known to be the playground of pacers. Going against the norm, Rocchiccioli has developed into a fine spinner in recent years, going from a grade cricketer to fighting for a spot in the national team.
He first made his mark in the 2022/23 Sheffield Shield when he led Western Australia to a victory over New South Wales with an eight-wicket haul in the match. He snared 25 wickets from 10 games in that season at 32.20 apiece.
Rocchiccioli upped his game in the following season, being the third highest wicket-taker with 46 scalps at an average of 27.60.
The 27-year-old made his Australia A debut in a match against India A at the MCG in November. He starred in the second innings with 4 for 74, including the wicket of KL Rahul. Ahead of the debut, he had the opportunity to work with Daniel Vettori, and bowl at Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne.
Though there could be an opening for another spinner following a setback to Kuhnemann, chances of Rocchiccioli getting a call-up don’t look great.
In the squad they have picked, Australia already has two specialist off-spinners in Lyon and Murphy. They also have all-rounder Beau Webster, who can switch between seam and off-spin whenever he needs. Having four of the same kind would be an overkill and brings no variety to the side.
Australia have another left-arm spin option in Cooper Connolly, who has been a promising talent since his Under-19 days and has had a blockbuster BBL season. There is a good possibility Australia might not call up any replacement and hope Kuhnemann plays some part in the series.
Just going by the eye test, Corey Rocchiccioli seems to be an excellent prospect. He is tall and that helps to get good bounce to trouble the batters, even more so on uneven surfaces. He can generate good flight and drift, two key aspects of spin bowling. Rocchiccioli has also shown good control, checking out all the attributes needed to be a successful spinner.
It might not be in the immediate future but his moment will come.
