Adam Zampa, one of Australia’s finest ever white-ball spinners, speaks to Aadya Sharma in Dubai about shuttling through T20 leagues, his Test ambitions, and more.
Adam Zampa has had a manic last few months. Since August, he’s featured in a tour to India, home series against West Indies and England and a T20 World Cup for Australia, and, away from the national side, in The Hundred, the Sheffield Shield, the Big Bash League, and now the ILT20. He is aware that 2023 is going to be “pretty crazy”: between all the globe-trotting leading up to the ODI World Cup, Zampa is also hoping to squeeze in some time on his lawn mower in Byron Bay.
Say hello to Zampa, modern cricket’s self-evolving, world-circling, league-tasting artist. He loves his job – it’s forever at the forefront of his mind – he’s really good at it, but he is also cognizant of the challenges it throws up, juggling priorities to be with family and taking care of himself.
By now, Zampa’s status as a white-ball titan is secure. Australia’s leading wicket-taker in T20Is, he also has the most ODI wickets for them since his debut and is currently in the top 10 of the ICC’s bowling rankings for both limited-overs formats. Only Shane Warne and Brad Hogg have taken more wickets among Australian ODI spinners. Ask him what has made him one of the best in the world, and he cites his unending appetite to learn and grow.
“I’ve been through ups and downs like anyone does in their career,” Zampa tells Wisden.com in Dubai at the International League T20. “I think my ability to develop each year, whether it be working on something in my bowling action, whether it be taking my game to the next level in terms of preparation… just my ability to adapt, to evolve and always continue to try and improve and change myself, is what has kept me driven. I now feel like some guys are just happy with what they’re doing and they stay the same their whole career, and I don’t think I can do that.”
“I think, if I stay the same for a certain amount of time, the results will change.”
The ILT20 serves as a good practice ground for the IPL, which, in turn, could be a crucial three-month window in his preparation for the 50-over World Cup later in the year. He had a quiet campaign in 2019, picking up five wickets at 47 in the UK. But a hungrier, sharper Zampa will be itching to bowl on Indian surfaces. For him, the cycle of evolution will continue – of learning, growing, and becoming better each season.
“I’ve always just tried to adapt each year, change something if I feel like it needs to,” he says. “I’m trying to keep up with a game that’s changing every year as well. So, for me, it’s just keeping up with it.”
