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Zampa can be a limited overs star for Australia

(AAP Image/SNPA, John Cowpland)
Expert
14th May, 2016
15
1198 Reads

For years after Shane Warne retired from Test cricket Australia went on a desperate search for a new match-winning wrist spinner. Finally, they may have unearthed one, except he looks set to be a limited overs specialist.

South Australian leggie Adam Zampa has shown enough since making his international debut in January to suggest he can become a weapon for Australia in limited overs cricket, particularly in their worst format T20.

Over his past eight T20 appearances – six for Australia and two games in his debut Indian Premier League season – the 24-year-old has grabbed 13 wickets at an incredible average of 13.

That includes a stunning haul this past week of 6-19 against a star-laced Sunrisers Hyderabad batting line-up featuring David Warner, Kane Williamson, Shikhar Dhawan and Yuvraj Singh.

This was no lucky night for Zampa. His figures were not deceptive – they were not built on fortunate wickets from rank deliveries, or horrible opposition batting, as can so often happen in T20 cricket. Aside from the dismissal of Williamson from a wide leg break he earned each of his wickets

He started by beating Indian T20 legend Yuvraj through the air and then off the pitch with a wrong ‘un. Next he enticed Moises Henriques and Deepak Hooda down the pitch only to bamboozle both batsmen. Zampa’s final two wickets came in contrasting fashions and served to highlight his strength as a limited overs wrist spinner.

He tricked gifted keeper-batsman Naman Ojha into thinking he could cut a delivery, only for it to skid on straight and disturb his stumps. Then, to claim his sixth scalp, Zampa looped the ball up above the eyes of bowling all-rounder Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who got sucked in to the trap and was caught in the deep.

These final two deliveries highlight the quality of Zampa’s variety. He does not need to be bowling mysterious deliveries like googlies or flippers to baffle batsman.

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While he has a fine googly, Zampa’s strength lies in his more subtle changes. Constantly he varies his angle on the crease, his delivery point, his seam direction, his degree of spin, his trajectory and his speed.

In any given Zampa over, no two deliveries are the same. This makes it very difficult for batsmen to line him up and explains his extremely frugal economy rate of just 6.3 runs per over across those aforementioned eight matches.

The lack of match-turning spin bowlers has been Australia’s major weakness in the T20 format. Many of their frontline spinners simply have been too predictable for batsmen, with Xavier Doherty’s left arm darts a classic example.

Gun opposition batsmen were able to guess roughly where the next delivery would land and what it would look like. This year Zampa has shown the crucial skill of keeping batsmen guessing.

He can force them to play each delivery on its merits, inhibiting their ability to pre-meditate aggressive strokes and target gaps in the field.

That doesn’t mean he is impossible to target. In his debut IPL game this week, Indian champion Virat Kohli smacked him for six, six and then four as Zampa conceded 18 runs off his fourth over. Two things are worth noting here though. Firstly, Zampa had the terrific figures of 2-17 from three overs to that point.

Secondly, and even more importantly, was the fact that Kohli’s match-winning blitzkrieg did not dent the confidence of Zampa, who immediately claimed 6-19 in his next outing.

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As much as the lovely variation of his bowling, it is this robust self-belief which convinces me he can be a star of international limited overs cricket. Many gifted young spinners have faded from the professional cricket scene because they could not cope with being attacked mercilessly by quality batsmen.

They did not have the mental strength to suffer a mauling in an over, or a spell, or a match and then erase it from their minds, back their ability, and bounce back swiftly. This is particularly crucial for wrist spinners, who do not have the luxury of resorting to nigh-on medium pace darts to try to counter a rampant batsman like finger spinners can.

Even the greatest spinner in history, Shane Warne, was clattered a couple of times each year. Yet he rarely, if ever, looked rattled and continued to surge to the crease looking for wickets.

Zampa does not have anywhere near the same level of talent as Warne. But he does look to have something like the same unshakeable belief in his skill – a swagger which belies his inexperience.

Allied with his fine control and wonderful variations, this temperament could make him Australia’s most valuable limited overs spinner since Warne.

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