Melbourne Stars assistant coach Trent Woodhill urges Australian selectors to back Adam Zampa
He’s been on shaky ground since making his Australian debut four years, but one of Adam Zampa’s Melbourne Stars coaches says “other countries just laugh at Australia” when they leave out the leg-spinner.
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Adam Zampa is “far and away” Australia’s best white-ball spinner should be locked into its teams for the next two years.
Melbourne Stars list boss and shrewd batting coach Trent Woodhill can’t believe the shaky ground that Zampa has been on ever since he made his ODI debut four years ago.
“There’s daylight between him and everyone else. (Ashton) Agar, (Nathan) Lyon … it doesn’t matter,” Woodhill said.
“You can keep trying to back to these people who are sexier bowlers, if you like, but under pressure Zamps is better.
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“The issue Zamps has had is he hasn’t had the same backing at international level as much more talented fast bowlers have.
“There was an 18-month period leading into the World Cup where they weren’t taking wickets with the new ball.
“Zamps was coming on and bowling to Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow at 0-70 after 10 overs, yet it was Zamps’ fault for not taking wickets.
“Why wasn’t Zamps coming on at 3-60 with the big, touted quicks taking wickets?”
“Unfortunately in international cricket Zamps has to be his best every day or someone else gets an opportunity.
“He’s taken 70 wickets in 50 games. He gets the best players out. The other countries just laugh at Australia when they don’t play him.
“Why? Because he doesn’t go away.”
Zampa became the Stars’ leading wicket-taker of all time on Thursday night (51 scalps) while he has knocked over India captain Virat Kohli five times in ODIs.
Zampa has also taken a world record 19 ODI wickets against India and in India by a visiting spinner.
That feat holds Zampa in good stead with India set to host a T20 World Cup in 2021 and ODI World Cup in 2023.
“It’s hard to take him down. So what happens is teams will milk him because he’s good and always targeting the stumps,” Woodhill said.
“We’ll always hear some idiot who says he doesn’t spin the ball enough. Well, Rashid Khan doesn’t spin the ball.
“He just keeps targeting the stumps and he moves it about a stump’s width, or a bat’s width. That’s all you need to do.
“Unless you’re Shane Warne or Richie Benaud, then you’ve got to go back to Clarie Grimmett to have big spinners. Kerry O’Keefe was an average spinner, Terry Jenner was an average spinner.
“I don’t give a sh-t how far you spin your big leg-spinner, unless you can hit the stumps with every other delivery then good players are going to tear you apart. The stats say that.
Zampa’s T20 international economy rate of 6.15 ranks No. 4 of all time, edging Rashid Khan, with Woodhill adamant that Hardik Pandya was the only batsman to take him down.
“Zamps is always in the game. You’re saying he’s a lock for the next two years, what do we need to put around him to help him?” he said.