I like to learn off players: Adam Zampa

Adam Zampa, the rookie leg-spinner from Australia has had a remarkable last couple of months. From impressing most with his performances in the BBL to being picked in the Australia squad and then his IPL exploits enhanced his reputation even further. Zampa is now considered as the lead spinner for Australia in the shortest format of the game.

Zampa is also a part of the Australian squad for the One-Day International (ODI) tri-series in West Indies. Talking to cricket.com.au, Zampa credited Trent Woodhill, the Melbourne Stars assistant coach, for his support as a batting and bowling coach. “My favourite thing to do is to learn off players (and) bowl more to good players. I have one guy who I go to, (Melbourne Stars assistant coach) Trent Woodhill. He’s been an amazing mentor for me as a batting and bowling coach. To have him there at the Stars (has been great).”

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He said that he used to learn from the players and playing alongside some of the great international cricketers helps him to improve. “I like to learn off players more than anything else. Dave Hussey, I’ve played under him… I’ve played under Steve Smith. They’re all very good players, and very good players of spin as well. I’m very close with KP (Kevin Pietersen) now, he’s great. Bowling to him in the nets (at the Stars and the Supergiants) is an absolute nightmare, so the more I can bowl to the great players like that, the more I’m going to improve,” he said.

The leg-spinner has been moving around different teams in the Sheffield Shield and the Big Bash League. He has moved from New South Wales to South Australia, which ended up being one of the prime reasons for the selections in the national squad.

“I had a few technical issues and I had to work in the nets pretty much for four or five hours a day, four or five days a week (in the 2014 pre-season),” he said. “In the Matador Cup in Brisbane, I was the best spinner by far in that and then it’s come on from there. I had a good Big Bash in Adelaide (in BBL 04) and the good thing for us young guys is the Big Bash is well broadcast and gets a lot of attention, so that’s definitely helped me as well.”

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“The Stars was an amazing move for me. I felt like I was on the brink of national selection and I thought going to a big franchise and being around some key Australian players as well I thought would be a right move.”

Stephen Fleming, Zampa’s coach at the Stars and at Rising Pune Supergiants, signed the 24-year-old for the ninth season of the Indian Premier League. Despite the poor performance by the RPS team this season, Zampa had a great IPL with a blistering six-wicket haul against the eventual champions Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

“(Fleming is) perfect for me as well. He’s very relaxed,” Zampa said. “He tells us to do what you need to do, prepare how you want to prepare and as long as you get the job done on the day … I like playing under Flem. Dhoni was a very calming influence. I enjoyed it, he was good to me. He’s exactly how you’d think he is. Very chilled. Not in terms of not caring, but the way you see him on the field is exactly what he’s like off the field as well.”

Australia will play their first game of the tri-series against host West Indies at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on June 5.