After slow start, Adam Zampa makes an impact

BANGALORE: Adam Zampa, the rookie Australian legspinner, still hasn't asked or been spoken to by his captain Steven Smith about why he just bowled one over in the team's first match of the ICC World Twenty20 in Dharamsala last week. He believes it was the right call by Steven Smith.
Picked as the specialist spin bowler in Australia's XI for their tournament opener against New Zealand in the north Indian hill station on March 18, Zampa was the fifth bowler used by Smith.He was given the ball for the seventh over of New Zealand's innings, at which stage the score was 58 without loss, and conceded three singles while bowling to Kane Williamson and Martin Guptill. And then the ball was taken away from him.
"I didn't speak to him. We haven't spoken about it all," said Zampa on Monday, following his match-winning haul of 3/23 - the first time he'd struck in T20Is. "I knew what was happening while I was out there. You've just got to be pretty smart about it. I always want the ball in my hand, but Smithy's a great tactical captain and we got it right I think. The ball was reversing, it was hard to hit the medium-pacers as well. You just have to bite the bullet sometimes."
Five days later, under the floodlights of Bangalore's M Chinnaswamy Stadium, a ground synonymous with runs and a certain Chris Gayle's ballistic exploits in T20 cricket, young Zampa got to bowl his full four overs. And the returns were special, and most importantly impactful on Australia's narrow win.
Zampa, 23, was named Man of the Match in his fourth game for the pivotal wickets of Mohammad Mithun, Shuvagata Hom and former Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan, which went a long way in ensuring Bangladesh didn't make more than the eventual 156/5.
His first wicket came via a long hop that Mithun pulled to the deep midwicket patroller, but his second and third strikes were more satisfying - even though inside, Zampa will probably remember that first dismissal the most. Shuvagata was undone by a fast, skidding delivery that he misread totally, and then Zampa dared to flight it up to Shakib who was on the move and looking to hit over the offside. For a bowler whose strengths have been line, length and keeping a lid on runs, getting three such wickets was special.
Usman Khawaja's maiden T20I fifty drove Australia's chase before his dismissal for 58 in the 14th over sparked a dramatic collapse of 5/37, but when it came time to adjudicate the most valuable player award, the choice was Zampa. After three wicketless T20Is this year, getting his first strike was a big source of confidence for the young New South Wales spinner.
Australia's win has lifted them to third on the Super 10 Group 2 table, level on two points with Pakistan and India, the two remaining teams that will face this week. Zampa, the son of a former legspinner who represented NSW Country, is relishing the chance to bowl to two Asian teams who he believes will be fun to compete against.
"It does [give me confidence] and its another game under my belt as well. The pitches, I'm not as used to yet, so its nice to have that little bit of experience and confidence now," he said. "Its going to be a new challenge playing against Pakistan and India, they're great players of spin, so its something I'm really looking forward to. It's been made quite clear that there's a bit of pressure on me to perform out here, and I'm very excited about playing against those types of players."