Zampa on edge ahead of Aussie ODI series

Australian legspinner Adam Zampa is desperate to cement his spot in the ODI side after a 'wake-up call' last year in India.

Adam Zampa stands dejected during the ICC Champions Trophy India.

After a wake-up call in India, legspinner Adam Zampa is desperate to cement his Australian ODI spot. (AAP)

With Australia on a mission to restore their one-day credentials, legspinner Adam Zampa is on a quest of his own ahead of the white-ball series against England.

Zampa has a golden opportunity to cement his spot in Australia's ODI team after being backed by national selectors for the five-match series starting on Sunday in Melbourne.

The South Australian was dropped for left-arm spinner Ashton Agar during Australia's October ODI tour of India, only to earn a reprieve when Agar broke his finger.

It was a wake-up call for Zampa, who had been Australia's first-choice ODI tweaker since debuting in 2016.

The 25-year-old's struggles in India left him determined to improve his craft.

While he is the sole spinner in Australia's 14-man squad to face England, he is taking little for granted.

"I'm really keen to get out there and show that I've been working on a few things," Zampa said on Thursday.

"My variations and things like that, I think, are coming out nicely as well, and I really want to cement my spot in this team.

"I feel like I'm on edge a little bit at the moment and I think that's probably a good thing for me. I think I perform my best when there's guys trailing me like Ash, who's bowling really well with the white ball."

World Cup winners in 2015, Australia have struggled more recently in ODIs.

They lost a series last February in New Zealand, England knocked them out of the Champions Trophy and India beat them at home 4-1.

So it's little surprise that redeeming their standing on the ODI stage has become Australia's priority - even more than prolonging England's pain after a 4-0 Ashes defeat.

"That'd be nice but I think concentrating on this form of the game is pretty huge for us at the moment, considering the World Cup is coming up in 2019," Zampa said.

"We've been pretty disappointed with the way that we've played in one-day cricket for the last couple of years so we're putting in a conscious effort to make sure that we get this form of the game right."


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Source: AAP



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