In a crucial Sheffield Shield match, Victoria set a challenging score of 197 against Western Australia at the WACA, with Oliver Peake scoring a commendable 52 on his first-class debut. Peake’s partnership with Peter Handscomb (48) helped stabilize the innings after a shaky start. WA faced difficulty right from the beginning, losing skipper Sam Whiteman for a duck. Victoria’s innings featured a key 94-run fourth-wicket partnership, showcasing Peake’s potential as a future Test player amidst adverse conditions. WA ended the day with 10 runs for 1 wicket, trailing by 187 runs, and aiming for an outright victory to secure a finals spot.
Western Australia 10 for 1 (Bancroft 8*, Sutherland 1-2) trail Victoria 197 (Peake 52, Handscomb 48, Rocchiccioli 5-67, Paris 3-37) by 187 runs
Victoria staged a commendable comeback, spearheaded by Peake. Coming to bat at 5 for 2 in the seventh over, the left-handed batsman remained calm amid challenging conditions and an imposing WA attack, concluding with a score of 52 off 168 deliveries.
Both teams are still contending for a place against South Australia in the final scheduled to start on March 26, but they will need a comprehensive victory while hoping that Queensland and New South Wales do not win their respective matches.
With a notably green pitch on display and gray clouds overhead, Whiteman confidently opted to bowl first. His choice was rewarded immediately when left-arm quick Joel Paris beat Campbell Kellaway’s outside edge with the very first ball, with Kellaway having come in on the back of scores of 79 and 77 the previous week against South Australia.
The Victoria openers struggled with the ball moving drastically and bouncing unexpectedly off the pitch; former Test opener Marcus Harris fell for just 2 after a sharp catch was taken at second slip by Cameron Bancroft off Cameron Gannon.
Blake Macdonald was next to go, bowled by an impressive inswinging delivery from Joel Paris, who was exceptionally accurate with the new ball.
Peake faced a daunting start but calmed his nerves after scoring his first run thanks to a mishandle by Cooper Connolly at point, allowing him an easy single that was celebrated by cheers from his teammates.
However, Peake struggled to increase his score for a while as he focused on solid defense against the bowling threat. He briefly lost concentration while attempting to attack Paris but was fortunate to remain not out.
With speedster Lance Morris missing from the match due to load management, Whiteman brought on Rocchiccioli in the 12th over, who is known for his effective bounce when he comes into play early.
He proved challenging as he consistently spun the ball past the bat on multiple occasions. The bowling changes proved effective with quick Brody Couch, a replacement for Morris, getting his first wicket in his opening over by trapping Kellaway lbw with a full delivery aimed down the legside.
Kellaway felt unfortunate about the dismissal, leaving Victoria at 20 for 3. Nevertheless, Handscomb drew from his extensive experience, providing stability alongside Peake as they managed to survive until lunch.
As the match reached a standstill, Whiteman called upon Hilton Cartwright, whose seam bowling currently hovers around 125 kph. However, his first delivery struck a divot, rising sharply and hitting Handscomb on the left thumb.
Handscomb immediately dropped his bat and sought medical assistance but returned to bat, soon after – on his 103rd ball faced – hitting his first boundary of the innings when he drove Gannon through point.
Peake’s third boundary was his finest, a beautiful cover drive off Cartwright, and just before tea, he reached his half-century off 153 balls, a milestone applauded by his teammates.
However, the break interrupted their momentum, and upon resumption, Handscomb, on 48, edged the diligent Rocchiccioli to short leg, triggering a collapse as Peake was dismissed, followed by Harry Dixon, another promising young talent, also falling to Rocchiccioli, who is known for taking wickets in clusters.
Rocchiccioli achieved his second five-wicket haul in his first-class career when Gannon took a remarkable catch to dismiss Peter Siddle.
Having returned from an extensive stint abroad, where he made his Test debut and opened in the Champions Trophy semi-final against India, Connolly bowled just two overs and did not take a wicket.
Victoria is without their spearhead Scott Boland, who stayed back in Perth due to knee soreness, while former WA quick David Moody is making his first Shield appearance in two years.
Tristan Lavalette is a journalist based in Perth