Sheffield Shield: Out-of-form WA all-rounder Cooper Connolly left out of side against New South Wales

Out-of-form young gun Cooper Connolly has fallen victim to a selection squeeze for WA’s final game of the Sheffield Shield season. As all-rounders Cam Green and Aaron Hardie returned to play as pure batters against New South Wales in Sydney, WA again opted to field a line-up featuring five specialist bowlers, leaving Connolly on the outer in a decision centred around team balance. The 22-year-old made two half-centuries in his three shield games before the Big Bash League break but has endured a sustained run of poor form with the bat since, struggling for Perth Scorchers and in Australia’s dismal T20 World Cup campaign. He returned from international duty to feature in a rain-affected draw against Queensland last week, making 10 in both innings. After Sam Whiteman won the toss and elected to bowl, WA bowled the Blues out for 232 on the first day of the clash at Cricket Central and reached 1-33 at stumps. Corey Rocchiccioli (5-62) nabbed his second five-wicket haul of the shield season as veteran seamer Cameron Gannon (2-31) claimed his 39th and 40th victims for the campaign to extend his lead atop the list of the competition’s most prolific bowlers. A fine one-handed snare from Cam Bancroft at bat-pad to dismiss Lachlan Shaw gave Rocchiccioli his 150th first-class wicket for WA, with the off-spinner saying he was “incredibly grateful” to bring up the milestone. “I feel like I’ve been bowling really well for the whole season, but I feel like it was my day today. The quicks have done a lot of the good work over the last couple of months in particular,” Rocchiccioli said. “You don’t set out to go and take wickets, but in particular, today just felt good from the outset. “When you win the toss and bowl, you want to have that performance and be batting at the back-end of the day. We ticked those objectives off. We’ve given ourselves the best chance going into day two.” The visitors’ work in the field was sharp, with both Rocchiccioli and second-gamer Albert Esterhuysen claiming sharp chances off their own bowling either side of Bancroft’s contender for catch of the season. Former WA wicketkeeper Josh Philippe top-scored for the Blues and was his side’s last wicket to fall for 52, being caught by Esterhuysen at long-on off the bowling of Rocchiccioli. In-form opener Sam Fanning fell lbw to Liam Hatcher for eight but Bancroft (15 not out) and Whiteman (seven not out) ensured their side got through the rest of the 17 overs they were required to face before the close unscathed.