Dropping the worry, reining within the pleasure and embracing being courageous — plus a little bit of luck — is what rising Western Australian spinner Corey Rocchiccioli credit for the prized wicket of David Warner on his Melbourne Renegades debut.
Rocchiccioli took two wickets in as many balls, together with that of the event’s swash-buckling star, in his maiden Big Bash League recreation in opposition to the Sydney Thunder on Thursday night time.
He completed with figures of 2-23 within the Renegades’ defeat at Manuka Oval, lastly breaking by means of for a recreation after signing as spin cowl for the second-half of the season. They have been the one two wickets his group took for the night time.
Speaking candidly post-match Rocchiccioli mentioned time with WA Cricket’s sports activities psychologist again dwelling and accepting the risky position of an off-spinner within the shortest format was central to his work.
“I’ve worked a lot with the sports psych back in WA so I probably owe him, I’ve spent a lot of time on the couch with him working through a lot of pre-ball routines, game routines, stuff I’m doing back in the hotel, so I was just jamming a few words into my head making sure I was really clear on what I wanted to do and take away the excitement,” he mentioned.
“I’m a really excitable person so I was just trying to make sure I did what I needed to do and dropped the fear factor of being hit for six, just being able to take wickets for the team.
“It’s a batter’s game, that’s how they put bums on seats, but I think I have just got to accept I bowl right-arm off-spin, a lot of blokes want to line me up, so it’s my advantage and my disadvantage at the same time.
“Sometimes you get wickets, sometimes you don’t, it’s sort of what happens in my job. Sometimes when I bat I get to do the same thing… you’ve just got to really embrace it and go with it.”
But the 25-year-old tweaker, who in 2018 was nonetheless taking part in second-grade cricket in Perth, admitted there was a component of luck in having Warner caught by Will Sutherland off the rope at long-on.
“It was lots of fun, it’s not every day you bowl to Bull (Warner) in Canberra,” he mentioned.
“It’s nice, nice to get a couple of wickets. He’s a genius in all formats and that’s why he’s been so good for so long.
“I was probably a bit scared early on, probably bowled a bit too flat and had a couple of conversations with Finchy out there about trying to toss it up, got lucky and he put one down long-on’s throat — using the 900m straight boundary.
“I got lucky on that one but I probably just embraced being a bit braver which is what got me my reward in the end.”
It took a sensational catch from Englishman Matthew Critchley, however a wise piece of bowling to dismiss in-form Thunder batter Ollie Davies on the very subsequent ball.
His eye-catching figures weren’t sufficient for Rocchiccioli nevertheless, who mentioned he would give all of it up for a Renegades win.
“I really enjoyed it, there’s plenty to work on. I’d trade in 2-23 for 0-40 if we got a win, because we just want to shore up that finals spot,” he mentioned.
“We’re trying to be really selfless and get ourselves into finals… it’s disappointing, but we’ll roll in to Perth and hopefully get a win.”
Rocchiccioli is now firmly within the combine to carry onto his spot for an Optus Stadium homecoming in opposition to the Perth Scorchers, who he was as soon as contracted to within the 2020-21 season, on Sunday night time.
