Zampa vows to be a factor for Australia

Adam Zampa is hoping England's current heatwave continues and the legspinner will get conditions to suit during the Champions Trophy.

Legspinner Adam Zampa insists he can be a factor for Australia in the Champions Trophy and hasn't contemplated the prospect of sitting on the sidelines.

The 25-year-old South Australian tweaker admits he struggled to live up to his brilliant 2016 IPL campaign and is battling to usurp Glenn Maxwell as the first choice spinner in what is a power-packed Australian bowling attack.

He does however believe the heatwave that has enveloped the UK this week, and is tipped to continue, could play into his hands.

"I am not assuming I won't play, but obviously with the firepower we have with the ball it comes down to conditions," Zampa said.

"I am hopeful that the conditions will suit me. You see a lot of dry wickets in England and I think I can have a big role to play.

"I think the general feel is that the wickets will slow up at the back end of the tournament and I am preparing for that."

Zampa showcased his talents to great effect in the Twenty20 World Cup last year in India where he was Australia's leading wicket-taker.

He then claimed 6-19 - the second best IPL figures of all time - for Rising Pune Supergiant.

But his second season for Pune was less successful, as he appeared in just six of the team's 15 matches and lost his place to South African Imran Tahir midway through the tournament.

"That 6-19 seems a whole long time ago with another season gone," Zampa said.

"As a team Pune had a great tournament but personally it probably didn't go to plan with Tahir being in the squad.

"He out-bowled me in the first couple of games that we played together so I didn't get the opportunities that I would have liked in the middle of the tournament."

Despite those struggles, Zampa insists sharing a dressing room with the likes of India superstar MS Dhoni and England allrounder Ben Stokes is invaluable for a young player.

"It's great for your growth as a player and as a person," he said.

"You look at these guys on the TV and you try to gauge their personalities by the way they play cricket.

"It's always nice to play with guys around the world and get to know them. I really enjoyed playing with Ben Stokes, he is great bloke as well as a great cricketer.

"Dhoni is a great leader as well and playing under these guys is a great learning experience."


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Source: AAP



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