"I never thought I'd play this much for Australia" - Adam Zampa ahead of his 100th ODI matchÂ
Australia leg-spinner Adam Zampa has established himself as the nation's premier white-ball tweaker over the years. With a World Cup title under his belt and 169 wickets to his name since his debut in 2016 against New Zealand, he is all set to play his 100th ODI when he takes the field for the series opener against England at Trent Bridge.
Zampa has played an invaluable role in all of Australia's recent white-ball triumphs, with T20 skipper Mitchell Marsh going as far as labelling the leg-spinner as the most important player in their squad.
Zampa's consistency and impact in ODIs is reflected through his numbers over the last few years. He last recorded an average of over 30 for a year in 2019, and his economy has also seen a significant improvement. His role in the middle overs is vital for Australia to assume control, and his blockbuster 2023 resulted in him being the third leading wicket-taking spinner in ODIs, ranking only behind Kuldeep Yadav and Sandeep Lamichhane.
Zampa's family will be in attendance when he plays his 100th ODI, and he spoke about the same ahead of the contest in Nottingham.
"It means a lot to me. I never thought I'd play this much for Australia."
"The feeling of playing for your country and still winning for your country beats playing franchise cricket and winning franchise cricket. I experienced the Hundred, it was great, I loved playing it, and winning at the end is a bonus but it hits different when you play for your country, when you win World Cups. Still got that drive to win many more," Zampa said.
The leg-spinner played a huge role as the Oval Invincibles retained their title during The Hundred 2024. He ended as the joint highest wicket-taker of the competition, along with Tymal Mills.
Set to hit the three-figure mark in terms of ODI appearances, Zampa is not far away from attaining the same feat in the shortest format. The spinner has made 92 T20I appearances, having made his debut right after his maiden ODI appearance in 2016.
"I feel like ODI cricket's still a really good format, I still enjoy playing it" - Adam Zampa
The upcoming ODI series between England and Australia marks the return of the five-match series in the format after a significant duration. With T20Is and franchise cricket dominating the calendar, bilateral ODI cricket has taken a serious hit.
Zampa, however, does not see the format dying out and feels it has a lot to offer, particularly for the youngsters in the coming years.
"There's been a lot of questions about the ODI format and what that looks [like] going forward. In terms of playing for Australia and that drive, I think every young guy coming through still thinks that's the be-all and end-all," Zampa said.
"But feels like playing for your country is still the priority. I agree with you, don't know what it's going to look like in the next few years, particularly with this format, but I feel like ODI cricket's still a really good format, I still enjoy playing it and think a lot of young guys coming through still see it as a good opportunity to play for your country," he added.
Zampa featured in the recently concluded drawn T20I series against England, finishing with figures of 2-20 and 0-37 across the two matches in Southampton and Cardiff, respectively.