Australia leg-spinner Adam Zampa has solidified his status as the country’s top white-ball bowler over the years. With a World Cup title and 169 wickets since his debut in 2016 against New Zealand, he is poised to play his 100th ODI in the series opener against England at Trent Bridge.
For all of Australia’s recent white-ball triumphs, Zampa has played a key role; according to T20 skipper Mitchell Marsh, he is their most essential player. His numbers over recent years represent his consistency and impact in ODIs.
He last recorded an average above 30 for a year in 2019, while his economy rate has also seen great improvement. In the middle overs, he is central to Australia taking charge and with an explosive 2023, he was third in ODIs among spinners who had taken most wickets only surpassed by Kuldeep Yadav and Sandeep Lamichhane.
Zampa’s family will be present for his 100th ODI, and he discussed this ahead of the match in Nottingham.
“It means a lot to me. I never thought I’d play this much for Australia.”
“The feeling of playing for your country and still winning for your country beats playing franchise cricket and winning franchise cricket. I experienced the Hundred, it was great, I loved playing it, and winning at the end is a bonus but it hits different when you play for your country, when you win World Cups. Still got that drive to win many more,” Zampa said.
The title was retained by the Oval Invincibles during The Hundred 2024 with a huge contribution from the leg spinner. He ended as one of the joint highest wicket-takers of the event along with Tymal Mills.
Zampa is not too far from achieving this mark in the shortest format as well, with ODIs set to see him reach three figures. He has made 92 T20I appearances after appearing in his first ODI in 2016.
“I believe ODI cricket is still a fantastic format, and I continue to enjoy playing it”- Adam Zampa
The upcoming ODI series between England and Australia signifies the return of the five-match format after a long absence. With T20Is and franchise cricket overshadowing the schedule, bilateral ODI cricket has suffered.
However, Zampa believes the format will not fade away and has plenty to offer, especially for young players in the years ahead.
“There’s been a lot of questions about the ODI format and what that looks [like] going forward. In terms of playing for Australia and that drive, I think every young guy coming through still thinks that’s the be-all and end-all,” Zampa said.
“But feels like playing for your country is still the priority. I agree with you, don’t know what it’s going to look like in the next few years, particularly with this format, but I feel like ODI cricket’s still a really good format, I still enjoy playing it and think a lot of young guys coming through still see it as a good opportunity to play for your country,” he added.
In the recently concluded drawn T20I series against England, Zampa was featured in two matches where his statistics were as follows; 2-20 and 0-37 held at Southampton and Cardiff respectively.
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