White-ball star Adam Zampa has opened up on his omission from Australia’s Test tour of Sri Lanka, before delivering a message for aspiring leg-spinners around the country.
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Despite 201 matches at international level across one-day and T20 cricket, the New South Wales wrist spinner was overlooked as an option for the Aussies later this month on the sub-continent – most likely due to his lack of red-ball cricket in recent years.
Speaking to Fox Cricket ahead of the Big Bash League’s Melbourne Derby between the Stars and his Renegades, the 32-year-old partially cited statistics as to part of the reason he may have been overlooked.
“I don’t think I ever had really high expectations, Zampa begun by saying pre-game at Marvel Stadium.
“When you suss the numbers out between wrist spin and finger spin over there, it definitely leans more towards finger spin … (but) I was still hopeful.”
“That burning desire to play Test cricket was definitely still there – and if anywhere, I thought Sri Lanka was going to be the best option.
“There’s so many good spinners coming through.
“I love watching wrist spin in Test cricket (but) there’s obviously not a lot of it.”
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Queensland’s Mitch Swepson is Australia’s most recent wrist spinner to play the five-day format, appearing in four games in 2022. Two of those were in Pakistan, while the other two were ironically in Sri Lanka.
Swepson however is the only genuine leg-spinner to play since Steve Smith back in 2010, when the now-superstar batter was initially selected as a bowling all-rounder. The last out-and-out leg-spinner to play before Swepson was one-Test-wonder Bryce McGain in 2009 at Cape Town in South Africa.
While Zampa was able to understand why finger spinners and off-spinners have been looked upon more favourably in recent times, he does believe there’s definitely still a place for them at the highest red-ball level.
“In that form of the game, when it’s spinning, accuracy is probably the most important thing. And with finger spin, that’s naturally their strength,” Zampa continued.
“But I think the ability to hold up an end when other guys are attacking is also another option they bring to the table as well.
“I don’t know, I wouldn’t say if you’re a young leg spinner coming through, you’ll never play Test cricket. But I think if you were looking to play a lot of Test cricket as a leg spinner, I don’t see it happening.”
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Few doubt that Zampa would be strong addition to an Australian touring party of the sub-continent with a red ball. But having played just three Sheffield Shield games in three seasons, his lack of game time across four days at domestic level looks to have resulted in national selectors looking elsewhere.
Veteran Nathan Lyon, Todd Murphy and Matthew Kuhnemann are the three spinners that have been picked to tour Sri Lanka.
The first Test of the two-Test series begins on January 29 in Galle.
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