“Grace Scrivens and I had a great connection; we had discussed the necessity for it after the first few games, so we were extremely happy with the outcome today.
“After the first four games we felt pretty down – three close games and not coming out on the right side of it, so it takes some getting up for the next game, but we’ve come back really strongly and with two games to go who knows what can happen.”
Due to his rigorous white-ball schedule, Zampa has only participated in two first-class matches since 2019. These were for New South Wales, as the player returned to his home state in 2020 after spending seven years in South Australia. Prior to that, he had only participated in six since 2017.
“Realistically, I think I still have a chance to play Test cricket,” he stated in an interview with the Final Word podcast. “I think I would be great and perform pretty well if I were playing a lot of shield cricket at this point with the way I bowl. My limited gaming experience over the past few years suggests that.”
Even though it’s uncommon for home Test matches to have two spinners, Australia will use a range of spin-bowling alternatives to help Nathan Lyon during their two-Test series in Sri Lanka early in 2019. Zampa may get a rare opportunity to play Sheffield Shield cricket during the summer calendar, either before or after Pakistan visits for ODIs and T20Is in November.
Though Glenn Maxwell is also a possibility for the Sri Lanka trip, Australia’s selectors have previously stated that Sheffield Shield results are not the only factor considered when choosing players for subcontinent tours. Zampa, whose first-class average is an ugly 46.98, is confident that his game could improve these days.
“Even if I do get picked in the upcoming subcontinent tours, people will say, well his record is averaging 46 with the ball, it’s not good enough, people will say that I’m sure, but if I do get picked I’ll know that the way I feel like I’m bowling, it’ll be fine,” he stated.
Regardless of whether Zampa plays Test cricket for his country, he has made it plain that representing Australia would come before playing for a franchise, especially in the wake of their 2023 ODI World Cup victory. This year, he announced that he has inked a two-year central contract with Cricket Australia and withdrew from the MLC and IPL.
He said that his current playing style—which includes Australia touring the UK in September—fits with his lifestyle and the schedule for the Hundred, where he is the co-leading wicket-taker for Oval Invincibles. However, he added that he does not want to spend long stretches of time away from home outside of international cricket.
“I was lucky to…be part of a winning World Cup team,” he stated. “I’m not interested in pursuing a franchise in the future. I want to play for Australia for as long as I can because I want to experience more success with that squad. I’m fortunate enough to have committed to play every game for Australia, which is why I signed a two-year contract with them. It implied that I would have to make certain choices about franchise cricket.”
Zampa, the only men’s bowler from Australia with more than 100 T20I wickets, will play three T20Is against Scotland early in the next month, followed by three more against England and five ODIs.
Read More: Nat Sciver-Brunt (again) keeps Trent Rockets in Top 3 hunt
