Spin bowler Adam Zampa still harbours hopes of earning a Test spot, despite playing little besides limited-overs cricket over the last six years. Zampa felt he was under consideration by the selectors for last year’s Test tour of India before they picked Mitchell Swepson. Even though he has been in and out of the side for his white-ball stations, Marsh had only played two first-class games before this one since 2019, with all six appearances over that period coming purely on home soil.
“Even now, I still think that some day in the future there will be a chance to play Test cricket,” Zampa told The Final Word podcast. “Were I playing a lot more Shield cricket, then performing well. I am positive about my chances because all of the games I have played up to now suggest that I could do it.
Australia does not play two spinners in home Tests very often, but with a tour of Sri Lanka early next year featuring bat-friendly conditions it is possible the Australians will take extra tweakers including Zampa to support Nathan Lyon. There may even be a chance for Zampa to play some Sheffield Shield cricket in the Australian summer depending on when ODIs and T20s against Pakistan are played.
But the panel have previously pointed out that Shield performance is not necessarily a barometer for selections on subcontinent tours. Glenn Maxwell could also be considered for the Sri Lanka tour. Zampa, who averages 46.98 in first-class cricket remains comfortable with his skill-set transitioning to the format I know even if I get selected for the subcontinent tours people will say my average is not that great but i think on current form it should do.
But Zampa insists he will continue to prioritise Australian duties over franchise cricket, despite the success of the 2023 ODI World Cup. This year, however, he chose not to play either IPL or MLC and opted for a two-year central contract with Cricket Australia instead. In England for the Hundred he is topping the wicket-takers; however, Zampa would still pick international cricket over prolonged time on tours.
“Luckily, I got to be a part of the World Cup-winning team,” Zampa said. “Playing franchise cricket moving forward is something that I could never (do). I want to play for Australia as often as I can. This new contract with PUMA reflects that. The 31-year old will next redeem the Whiteshirt for Australia with three T20Is against Scotland, before a further trio of twenty-over games in England and five one-day internationals.