Australian white-ball superstar Adam Zampa has put his hand up for the nation’s upcoming tour of Sri Lanka early next year, after making a first-class return for New South Wales this week.
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And elsewhere, wicketkeeping legend Ian Healy has pleaded for the return of an axed playing academy as part of the country’s ambition to accelerate the next generation of gun cricketers.
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ZAMPA LAYS SUB-CONTINENTAL DREAM BARE
White-ball weapon Adam Zampa would love to make his Test debut in Sri Lanka early next year, but concedes it would likely be as the third spinner after he reminded selectors of his desire to be picked with a rare first-class appearance for NSW this week.
Zampa, 32, has played 200 white-ball games for his country but is yet to play a Test match — mostly due to his slim number of red-ball appearances at domestic level in recent times.
But there is an opportunity for him to finally get a crack in Sri Lanka next January, with spin likely to dominate the overseas tour given the friendly nature of conditions.
Veteran Nathan Lyon will be one of the first players picked, with selectors then tasked with the tricky decision of working out his partners in crime.
Victorian Todd Murphy currently sits in the frame as the next best spin option, with a successful debut tour to India in 2023 and two Ashes cameos under his belt.
Western Australia’s Corey Rocchiccioli has also been in-form at domestic level for a couple seasons now, while Tasmanian left-arm orthodox recruit Matt Kuhnemann also has Test experience on the sub-continent, and will be up for consideration.
The upcoming tour is why Zampa put his name up for Sheffield Shield selection this week for NSW, with the leg-spinner claiming four wickets against Tasmania at the SCG.
“I’m certain of the fact that finger spin is going to be really important over there,” Zampa said.
“We’ve got ‘Gaz’ (Lyon) and ‘Heady’ (Travis Head) who bowl really well over there, and left-arm spin typically does well over there.
“If I do play over there … it’s potentially as a third spinner, maybe one quick and you play one of each (type of spin); I don’t see myself being the second spinner over there.
Zampa has had brief conversations with chief selector George Bailey about his role, but says his career won’t be defined by whether he plays Test cricket.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a total burning desire; it’s something I’d like to do and challenge myself at,” Zampa added when asked about the five-day format.
“If I got to end my career and it didn’t pan out that way, then I’d be okay with it.
“I might look back one day and feel like maybe I didn’t give it a 100 per cent crack, and I feel like playing these games and putting my hand up for the Sri Lanka tour and being keen for that is fine.
“But I’ve been in this position in the past where they’ve talked about three or four spinners going away, but it hasn’t gone my way, and I’ve been disappointed about it. This time might be similar, but I’ve dealt with it before, so it’s fine.”
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AUSTRALIAN GREAT’S ACADEMY PLEA
Ian Healy is all in favour of Cricket Australia bringing a return to the National Cricket Centre to help with the development of young players across the country.
Writing for SEN, the 119-Test legend noted that the exiled cricket academy would go a long way to ensuring the nation’s next wave of talent
In the 1990s, the academy helped develop the likes of the late Shane Warne, Ricky Ponting, Damien Martyn and Brett Lee — with all becoming greats of the game in their own right.
Healy emphasised that the young talent across the country is much deeper than most think; just that they deserve the attention that many Australians once had.
From the Australian side that played India in the first Test of this summer, only debutant Nathan McSweeney (25 years old) was under the age of 30, with the injured Cameron Green (25) and spinner Todd Murphy (24) the only other players to play more than five Tests and meet that criteria in recent memory.
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