Australia's premier leg-spinner Adam Zampa has hit his stride in the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup as he continues to showcase the reason why the Aussies rate him so highly in the white-ball formats.
The right-arm leg-spinner bagged another four-wicket haul - the fourth one of his T20I career against Namibia to take Australia into the Super Eight stage of the marquee tournament.
Zampa bagged figures of 4/12 in his four-over spell and reduced Namibia's batting order to dust. Nambia failed to counter Zampa and got bowled out for 72 in just 17 overs before the Australian top-order comprising David Warner (20 runs off eight balls), Travis Head (34* off 17 balls) and Mitchell Marsh (18* off nine balls) made light work of the run chase.
Notably, Zampa's match-winning spell helped him become the first Australian player in history to claim 100 wickets in T20Is. The 32-year-old is already the leading wicket-taker for the Aussies in the format and the latest milestone has added another feather in his cap.
Leading wicket-takers for Australia in T20I cricket
| Player |
Matches |
Wickets |
| Adam Zampa |
83 |
100 |
| Mitchell Starc |
62 |
76 |
| Josh Hazlewood |
48 |
64 |
| Pat Cummins |
54 |
60 |
| Ashton Agar |
47 |
48 |
| Shane Watson |
58 |
48 |
| Andrew Tye |
32 |
47 |
| Kane Richardson |
36 |
45 |
| Glenn Maxwell |
109 |
40 |
| Mitchell Johnson |
30 |
38 |
Zampa is 24 wickets ahead of compatriot Mitchell Starc who is the second-leading wicket-taker for the Kangaroos in the shortest format of the game. The New South Wales-born was happy to contribute to the team's success against Namibia but added that the job is far from over.
"To get the win tonight and qualify for the Super Eights, that is a nice feeling. (On his bowling rhythm) Yes and no. I bowled a couple of pies tonight but in general, the ball feels like it is coming out well. Being encouraged to pick up wickets in the middle, particularly by the captain. (Bowling with the breeze) We experienced that in Barbados as well. We know on these wickets that is a challenge. We are happy, it is the first step in trying to take the trophy home but a long way to go (still)," said Zampa while collecting his Player of the Match award during the post-match presentation.
