Adam Zampa

Crafty as Shane Warne, canny as Mushtaq Ahmed, and accurate as Anil Kumble – Adam Zampa is undoubtedly the best leg-spinner to play for Australia since Warnie. Over the years, the New South Wales-born cemented his place to become an instrumental cog in Australia’s bowling line-up in the white-ball formats, along with Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins. Zampa was a vital cog during Australia’s triumphs in the 2021 T20 World Cup and the 2023 World Cup. 

The leg-spinner possesses impressive control and variety and has also shown leadership skills as captain of Sutherland in the Sydney Grade competition. 

The young leggie showed early signs of his ability after playing an instrumental role in Australia’s successful campaign at the Under-19 World Cup.

Following his impressive performances for South Australia and the Melbourne Stars, the wily spinner made his way into Australia’s ODI and T20I squads in 2016. He emerged as Australia’s leading wicket-taker in the World T20 hosted in India the same year. His 3 for 23 against Bangladesh saw him winning the Man of the Match award, as he joined a very short list of Australian spinners who were bestowed with that honour in the shortest format at that time.

The leg-spin sensation got his first taste of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2016 playing for the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiants in their debut season and claimed 6 for 19 versus Sunrisers Hyderabad, which was once the second-best figure in the tournament's history.

After a decent start to the T20I series against Sri Lanka in 2016-17, Zampa was shockingly dropped after taking two wickets in the first match. He described it as a ‘kick in the guts’, stating that his recent T20 form indicated that he was one of the best spin bowlers in the shortest format in the world.

Despite his amazing success in the limited-overs format, the spinner, nicknamed Zorba, was unable to break into the Test side of Australia. He continued playing in the Sheffield Shield and had his first five-wicket haul in a first-class match, when he took career-best figures of 6/62 in the first innings against Queensland before taking another four wickets in the second innings to accomplish his first ten-wicket haul in a first-class match in the 2016-17 season.

Prior to the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, Zampa was named in Australia’s squad but didn’t get much opportunity to play. Being a reliable spinner for the Aussies, he was also named in the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup and was found guilty of breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during the clash against the West Indies. 

Replacing the countryman Kane Richardson for IPL 2020, Zampa featured in just 3 matches for Royal Challengers Bangalore and was retained by RCB for the upcoming season.

In the 2021 T20 World Cup, Zampa emerged as a linchpin in Australia's bowling attack, finishing as the team's leading wicket-taker and second overall in the tournament with 13 wickets at an average of 12.07 and an economy rate of 5.81. His standout performance was against Bangladesh, where he recorded exceptional figures of 5 for 19, playing a crucial role in Australia's first T20 World Cup triumph.

During the tour of Pakistan in 2022, Adam Zampa reached a significant milestone by securing his 100th ODI wicket in the opening match of the series. Later that year, Zampa achieved his maiden ODI five-wicket haul. Later in November 2022, Zampa showcased his bowling prowess, emerging as a pivotal figure in Australia's 3-0 series sweep. Over the three matches, Zampa claimed a total of 11 wickets.

However, in September 2023, on Australia's tour of South Africa, Zampa faced a challenging outing in the fourth ODI at Centurion, conceding 113 runs without taking a wicket. This performance was a rare setback in his otherwise consistent career.

But the canny spinner found his way back in form. He played an instrumental role in Australia's victorious 2023 ODI World Cup campaign in India. He was the tournament's second-highest wicket-taker, claiming 23 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 22.39.

A year later, during the 2024 T20 World Cup, Zampa reached a significant milestone by becoming the first Australian bowler to take 100 wickets in T20Is, achieving this feat against Namibia with a four-wicket haul. 

Ahead of IPL 2025, Zampa joined the Sunrisers Hyderabad after being acquired for INR 2.4 crore during the auction. This move marked his debut with SRH, following previous stints with franchises like the Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore. 

(As of April 2025)