It's a Frustration, I Want To Play Back-To-Back Games - Adam Zampa

Expressing his frustration over his start-stop international career, Adam Zampa insisted the Australian attitude towards spinners in Tests is ‘not great.’

The leg-spinner’s career is yet to take full flight despite him being arguably the best Australia has to offer at the moment.

Zampa had an eye-catching start to his international career. He picked up 30 wickets in his first 19 ODI internationals. However, things started going downhill for him from last year’s tour of India.

He ended the tour with just four wickets at an average of 47. An economy-rate of almost seven did not help his cause either. The performance perhaps was the biggest reason that he missed out on an IPL deal this year.

The leg-spinner is more known for his white-ball exploits. However, he has not given up on red-ball cricket too. That he has not been able to prove himself with the red-ball is because he feels the spinners in Australia do not get a leeway like the batsmen.

Well, this season proves him right. Despite representing Australia, Zampa was not a regular in South Australia’s playing eleven. After featuring in the T20I series involving New Zealand and England, Zampa played just one Sheffield Shield game and then got dropped.

“The attitude towards spinners in red-ball cricket in Australia is not great,” he said. “There’s a lot of leeway for batsmen that miss out. They get more opportunity. I’d come straight from a T20 tri-series against New Zealand and England – I played only one game in that – and I bowled OK and scored runs in the [state] game, but it wasn’t enough to keep my spot for the next two games.

“It’s a frustration. I want to play back-to-back games. I want to get better, and I just feel like I haven’t really got that opportunity. My career average in four-day cricket isn’t great, but the last two season I’ve got 50 wickets in 15 games. Bowling on drop-in wickets in Australia, that’s improving,” he added.

Zampa is currently playing for Essex while Australia are struggling to get going against England in the ODI series.

The reigning world champions are 2-0 in the five-match series. And while Zampa is disappointed over not being a part of the time, he is content with playing wherever he is getting the opportunity.

“I feel like I’m still learning, but you actually have to play to get better. It doesn’t really matter what cricket you’re playing. I find even playing club cricket is a good opportunity for me to work on some things. Playing cricket is a short life-span so I’m just trying to get as much in. I obviously want my spot back in the Australian team,” he said.

The Australian selectors have said they want to take a legspinner to next year’s World Cup. And Zampa feels doing well for Essex will put him in contention for a spot in the squad.

“With a long tournament in England [next year], the wickets are going to slow up and become used so if they do want a legspinner and I am bowling well, I do well for Essex so they can see I have done well over here, I think that’s a positive for me,” he said.