CHENNAI: One of the men's World Cups' unwritten rules is that spinners don't lead the wicket-takers' list. Skim the history books and you are bound to see the likes of Wasim Akram (1992), Glenn McGrath (2007), Roger Binny (1983) or Mitchell Starc (2015 and 2019). There seems to be one exception that satisfies this rule -- white ball World Cups held in the sub-continent. If Shahid Afridi (tied with Zaheer Khan in 2011) and Anil Kumble (1996) held sway the last two times the bash was held in the sub-continent, the man who could finish on the top this time out is Adam Zampa with 19 so far.
After a below-par opening to his campaign (0/53 against India at Chennai and 1/70 against South Africa at Lucknow), the leg-spinner has been in his elements. His latest performance under the lights at Ahmedabad — 3/21 against England at Ahmedabad — showed that he's going from strength and that the best is potentially yet to come.
Where it really changed for him was Australia's third game against Sri Lanka. Batting first, they were on course for a big score, with Zampa himself once again conceding many. He had leaked 22 in his first three overs when Pat Cummins brought him back. It was a calculated move as they had two new batters, Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama. Six balls later, his World Cup had lift-off. Mendis' had mistimed a sweep and David Warner flung himself.
Prior to that over, his figures had read 1/145 in 21 overs. Since being called back for that new spell, he's returned figures of 18/181 in 38 overs. So, what happened during that game against Sri Lanka? A lot of things. Zampa broke it down in The Grade Cricketer Podcast after the game. "‘Stoin’ (Marcus Stoinis) was the best,” Zampa had said. “He came up to me and could see I was in pain, and I think he had a bit of a niggle and he was like ‘mate, let’s just have a crack hey, let’s just have a f---ing go... That was probably my turning point, I was like, ‘yeah let’s just have a crack, let’s go’." Following that clarion call, Zampa has led the charge that has put Australia on the verge of the semifinals.
He spoke about it following his MVP performance against England. "I would say tonight is as satisfying as it feels after an ODI in terms of my 10 overs," he said. "Bowling mainly to lefties (a negative match-up), (Dawid) Malan, (Ben) Stokes, (Moeen) Ali, they're quality players. And to sit back, knowing that I went for 20 runs off 10 overs, my length (and) control was as good as it's been, it was a really satisfying one tonight.
"Really satisfying wickets, I think (Jos) Butler and Stokes, really satisfying and Moeen Ali's, I'm known for bowling flatter and faster, but at the moment, I felt like my length and control was really good today, so to be able to bowl it slower and bring it back a little bit was also a really satisfying wicket."
While some of the other contenders to win the World Cup have multiple spinners in the same XI (Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav in India, Tabraiz Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj for South Africa, Rachin Ravindra and Mitchell Santner for New Zealand, to give multiple examples), Zampa is almost the sole conductor of the spin orchestra. Sure, Glenn Maxwell has been a very shrewd operator but it goes without saying his role in the side may change. Does that put additional pressure?
The 31-year-old gave a peek into his thinking. "(Australia coach) Andrew McDonald said 'you know, Ash Agar, he's not going to be right for it, he's injured, you're going to be the only spinner'. I told him, 'you guys must think I'm pretty good if you think I can do the job by myself'. So yeah, I took it as a lot of confidence to be honest, not responsibility."
That confidence has also meant he has been able to power through without thinking about the multiple health issues that seems to have plagued him during the event. "He's been in bed for the last week or two," Cummins told the broadcaster after that game. "He was fantastic, and he just showed his class. He's a real wicket-taker in the middle. Babar Azam and Iftikhar (Ahmed) at the end when he was going, two big wickets."
Back spasm. A neck issue. Stomach problem. A bizarre cut in a swimming pool. Flu... but he's been okay the last few days. "Back's ongoing, it's not spasming anymore, it's a bit stiff but body's coping pretty well," he said after the England match.
He will once again be key when they take to the field against Afghanistan, a direct rival for one of the two remaining semifinal spots. The five-time champions will confirm their place with a win at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday. Lazarus (as Zampa is called by teammates) will be waiting.
If he picks up one more wicket, he would have picked up 20 wickets at the event. The last Australian right-arm wrist-spinner to take 20 at the World Cup? Shane Warne when he jointly topped the wicket charts with Geoff Allot in 1999.
