Adam Zampa, Billy Stanlake, Daniel Worrall and Matt Renshaw are targeting big BBL and state changes
Cricket Australia’s protracted embargo period is frustrating players, managers and teams but has stopped a current and former Australian quartet from lining up big franchise and state moves.
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Adam Zampa is set to reignite his Test dream by leaving South Australia as speedsters Daniel Worrall and Billy Stanlake headline BBL trading between Adelaide Strikers and the Stars.
Jason Gillespie’s Strikers are pursuing a canny strategy of spending big on one import – T20’s best bowler Rashid Khan – while poaching former Australian opener Matt Renshaw from Brisbane Heat and swing-king Worrall.
Stanlake will escape short, square boundaries that consumed the tearaway in Adelaide last season for the protection of the MCG with David Hussey’s Stars.
Leg-spinner Zampa, 27, has become a mainstay of Australia’s limited overs unit but his first-class career has stalled in Adelaide, playing three games over the past two seasons.
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Zampa arrives back in Adelaide from Australia’s limited overs tour of South Africa next week when South Australian high performance manager Tim Nielsen will attempt to convince the tweaker – with 105 first-class wickets in 38 matches – to remain.
“We will talk long and hard with him, where he is at,” Nielsen told The Sunday Mail.
“We would hope to keep him, being an Australian player. He would like to play more first class cricket.”
Zampa – entering his prime as a tweaker after seven years in Adelaide – can choose between a switch to Victoria succeeding 38-year-old Fawad Ahmed or return to New South Wales which has spin twins Nathan Lyon and Steve O’Keefe.
Tasmania also wants a spinner but Bellerive’s green strip isn’t a selling point.
Zampa thrived 2016-17 when he took 30 wickets across eight Sheffield Shield matches including a maiden five-wicket haul.
Zampa tapered off to five Shield games and 17 wickets in 2017-18, one game last season and two this summer.
Wrist spinner Mitch Swepson was called up for the final Test against New Zealand at the SCG in January in a possible precursor to selection for Australia’s mid-year Bangladesh tour.
Redbacks coach Jamie Siddons prefers all-out pace on Adelaide’s juicy deck with Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year Wes Agar, former Test pair Chadd Sayers, Joe Mennie, Worrall and left-armer Nick Winter to rotate.
Swing-king Worrall will walk from perennial BBL bridesmaid Melbourne Stars to form the competition’s best attack alongside import Rashid, Peter Siddle, Michael Neser and Agar. Adelaide loved Stanlake’s 150km/h firepower in its 2017-18 title win but the beanpole took four wickets at 74.5 and 9.03 economy rate last season.
“If we could make something work to get him back we would consider it if it was the right deal for us and him. Frank could offer a point of difference,” said Nielsen of Worrall who wants to consolidate his cricket with the Redbacks and Strikers.
Conducting negotiations and providing certainty for frustrated players is proving difficult due to a bizarre, indefinite BBL contract embargo period that is forecast to end on Friday. State deals can’t be started until BBL contracts are finalised.
BBL contracts can only be signed after the embargo period when unsettled Queenslander Renshaw is expected to pursue a fresh start Adelaide.
“If he going to move it would be nice for us to be considered,” said Nielsen.