A tale of two cricketers: Why Litchfield and Zampa are poles apart

Phoebe Litchfield is killing it. Adam Zampa is losing it. Here’s a tale of two cricketers.

Phoebe Litchfield in control against West Indies at Allan Border Field. Picture: Getty Images.

Phoebe Litchfield’s stance is wide. Authoritative. Powerful. Textbook. Natural. Knees are flexed like she’s about to throw a southpaw uppercut. Feet are so keen to get moving they may burst from her boots and skip down the pitch of their own accord. The handle is long, long enough, and her right shoulder is raised as though she’s just pulled driver from her bag and intends to let rip down a par five.

The confidence and energy is palpable. She takes guard like she means business; as if she knows something’s about to happen. The most exciting young talent in any corridor of Australian cricket is in that embryonic and wildly exciting stage of a career where you can do no wrong. “It’s scary to think what this young cricketer might achieve,” says ex-Australia captain Alex Blackwell.

Adam Zampa stands at the top of his mark with a furrowed brow. Something’s about to happen here, too. We just can’t be sure what it is. Why’d the legspinner cross the road? To retrieve the ball that’s just been hit out of the ground. His body language remains feisty and competitive. His fingers still twitch while he fizzes the ball between his palms before each delivery. Same as ever, but something’s gone askew. Accuracy has been his forte but the radar’s on the blink. He’s crucial to Australia’s chances at the World Cup but his form has dipped quicker than one of Shane Warne’s old topspinners. He’s in that excruciating and perplexing stage of a career where things start going wrong.

Here’s a tale of two cricketers. One is killing it. One may have lost it. A tale of the 20-year-old Litchfield, cartwheeling from one match to the next, fresh from carving the equal fastest half-century in women’s T20 internationals, her 18-ball knock of 50 against the West Indies. A tale of the 31-year-old Zampa, for so long Australia’s best white-ball spinner, fresh off the equal worst bowling performance in men’s 50-over internationals, the humiliating 0-113 he conceded from ten overs against South Africa. It’s the tale of a young cricketer on the way up, and a veteran trying to prove he isn’t on the way out.

Let’s start with Litchfield. She’s become so good, so quickly, that a place had to be found for her this season in an Australian side that didn’t have any vacancies. Alyssa Healy, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Tahlia McGrath, Ash Gardner, Grace Harris and Annabel Sutherland, let alone the absent Meg Lanning, did not deserved to be dropped against the Windies – but the dynamic Harris was demoted just so Litchfield could get a game. There’s no overstating how important she is to the future of Australian women’s cricket. Alongside 21-year-old all-rounder Annabel Sutherland, she IS the future. Quite possibly Australia’s next opening batter, captain and wicketkeeper. So busy it’ll make Pat Cummins’ responsibilities look like a casual shift.

Her record-equalling innings at North Sydney Oval this week was something else. Probably didn’t get the fanfare it deserved. The match finished late and century-making Windies captain Hayley Matthews stole the headlines by stealing the match. Litchfield’s contribution was this. Fifty-two runs from 19 balls. Three fours. Five sixes. Strike rate more valuable than gold: 273. 68. Nothing outlandish. Just good, busy, up-tempo, skilful batting. Given a hit, she made the most of it. “She’s always had the talent,” says Healy, the Australia captain. “She’s always had the skill.”

A turning point in Litchfield’s career came when Perry, Healy and Mooney were ruled out of the final ODI against Ireland in July, Litchfield and Sutherland opened the batting. Both made centuries. They played and behaved like butterflies emerging from chrysalis. Something was happening.

“It‘s just learning about when to play the shots and what’s the right one at the right time,” Healy says of Litchfield. “She‘s gained confidence at the international level. Scoring a hundred in Ireland helps, opening the batting, then coming back home to Australia, to get an opportunity which she may not have thought she’d get first up – to grab that with both hands hopefully gives her the confidence to know that we do back her and we‘ve got the belief that she can keep doing exactly that.”

Litchfield’s a natural. Ambidextrous. Free-flowing. There’s a little of Brian Lara’s wristy flourish in how she goes about her business. “It was a bit of a crazy innings,” she says of matching New Zealand captain Sophie Devine’s 18-ball benchmark. “I only cleared the rope by about 30cms each time, but I’ll take it. I’ve been practising power-hitting and getting a bit more freedom in my T20 game. It’s rewarding to put that performance on the board. I’ve been lifting weights but I’m not sure how that correlates to hitting balls. I don’t really think it does. When I’m timing the ball, it goes further. It’s not just about getting bigger.”

She’s getting bigger in the ways that matter. Bigger maturity. Bigger cricketing smarts. Starting in the Big Bash as a 16-year-old, she mastered the art of getting herself out. Now she’s up and running, there’s bigger faith from selectors and teammates. She’s not in the Australian XI as a work experience kid. She needs to contribute as much as the rest of them. We’ve seen this week she’s here to stay.

Zampa’s gone astray. Spinners will be in the thick of the action on the subcontinent. A down-on-confidence Zampa against India’s spin-devouring batters at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram in a blockbuster World Cup opener warrants a gulp and Hail Mary. Zampa isn’t Australia’s main spinner. He’s the only specialist spinner, which may be a selection blunder comparable to Eddie Jones taking only one Wallabies fly-half to the Rugby World Cup. The proof will be in the puddin’ … and on the scoresheets.

Zampa’s last 40 overs in ODIs have gone for 307 runs. Quite the journey. He’s taken seven wickets. Steve smith and Dave Warner bowled back-up spin in Australia’s final warm-up game against Pakistan. Smith went for ten runs an over. Warner went for 20, warranting a spell for the remainder of his career. Glenn Maxwell’s darts will complement Zampa’s offerings when the Australians begin the World Cup campaign against the haughty hosts on Sunday at 7.30pm (AEDT) but it’s the first-choice, only-choice and increasingly worrying choice of spinner that will go a long way to deciding the fate of Cummins’ hot, cold, hot again, cold again, completely unpredictable yet totally dangerous side.

One spinner in India. Australia’s rolling the dice on how effectively Zampa rolls the arm over. “‘Zamps’, he’s effective at not only keeping the run rate down but he can take a couple of wickets at the death, which is really important as well, and sometimes it’s a bit harder for pace bowlers to do that,” Cummins says. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we keep two, three or four overs up our sleeve with him.”

Zampa hasn’t said much lately. You don’t get wheeled out for comments when you’re being tonked around. So, mate, 0-113, how do you feel? You only get wheeled out for comments when you’ve muscled up a bit and made 18-ball 50s. Most of World Cup squads in India have between three and 14 spinners in their 15-man squads.

Chairman of selectors George Bailey says of using only Zampa in cahoots with all-rounder Glenn Maxwell: “I think it’s unfair on Maxy to say he’s not a specialist spinner. His white-ball T20 and one-day spinning record is pretty handy. I think you could very much consider him a frontline option. We certainly consider we have two frontline spinners in our first-choice XI. When you’re limited to 15 players, there are compromises. You have to give or take or weigh up the risks or which way you want to lean. We definitely think Zamps and Maxy can do the job as the frontline spinners.”