"It's taken me a lot longer to get into the game" - Adam Zampa reflects on his struggles in the first two matches of 2023 World Cup
Australia's lead spinner Adam Zampa acknowledged that he was nowhere near his best in the first two games of the 2023 World Cup. Zampa reflected that he should've made things a lot easier for the other bowlers in the first couple of matches.
The wrist-spinner struck form against Sri Lanka in Lucknow on Monday, finishing with four wickets in eight overs after managing only one scalp in the initial two fixtures. He claimed the Player of the Match award as Australia opened their account in the competition with a five-wicket victory.
Speaking after the win, the 31-year-old said he wouldn't make excuses and should've got into the groove a lot earlier. He stated, as quoted by cricket.com.au:
"Bowling to set batters and trying to build some pressure, I just wasn't really able to do that. I won't make any excuses. I think I should be good enough to play that role as well but just it's taken me a lot longer to get into the game than I would have liked."
Zampa added:
"I look back on the first two games and I probably look at the last game as one where I could have made a difference and made it easy for those other guys. But the Indian game, we we're under the pump defending 200 and I'm always going to be the guy who tries to get wickets."
The leggie didn't start his spell in the desired manner against Sri Lanka either, as he leaked two boundaries in his first over. However, he claimed the wickets of Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama, sparking Sri Lanka's collapse from 125-0 to 209 all out.
"A really big game against Pakistan in Bangalore" - Adam Zampa
Zampa suggested that his attitude wasn't quite right against India and South Africa, but hopes Australia can get on a roll in the tournament moving forward.
"The figures (are) 'whatever', it's more about my attitude and reflecting on did I bowl the ball where I wanted to, did I make the right decisions, did I put my game on the line to try and make a difference? It's a World Cup so you can get on a roll. Obviously, a really big game against Pakistan in Bangalore and if we can put it all together play a good game there, you go 2-2 and there's the feeling is much better."
Australia and Pakistan will square off on October 20, Friday, at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. While the Men in Yellow are backed with a massive victory from their previous outing, Pakistan are coming off a crushing seven-wicket defeat against India in Ahmedabad.