Australia's white-ball specialist Adam Zampa has not given up on his dream of wearing the baggy green for the country in Test cricket. The star leg-spinner is confident that he stands a realistic chance of playing in the red-ball format for Australia in the foreseeable future.
Zampa feels that his hectic white-ball schedule has not really allowed him enough time to play Sheffield Shield and bolster his chances of earning a Test call-up.
"I think, realistically, (I'm) still a chance to play Test cricket," Zampa told during an episode of the Final Word podcast. "If I was playing a lot of Shield cricket right now with the way I'm bowling, the bowler I am, think I'd be fine, I'd be doing really well. The few games I have played in the last couple of years are suggestive of that."
With Australian selectors not known for preferring two spinners in Tests in home conditions, the earliest Zampa can expect to play in the red-ball format for the country is when the Aussies tour Sri Lanka next year for a two-match Test series.
However, Zampa still needs to improve on his first-class numbers before that as they do not make for a good reading.
The 32-year-old averages 46.98 with the ball in hand in first-class cricket and has claimed 111 wickets in 40 appearances.
"Even if I do get picked in the upcoming subcontinent tours, people will say, well his record is averaging 46 with the ball, it's not good enough, people will say that I'm sure, but if I do get picked I'll know that the way I feel like I'm bowling, it'll be fine," he said.
The leggie is currently plying his trade in the ongoing edition of the Hundred for Oval Invincibles and is the joint-leading wicket-taker in the tournament. However, franchise cricket is not the way forward for the Aussie as he wants to keep playing as much as possible for the country, even if it comes at the expense of franchise tournaments.
"I was lucky to…be part of a winning World Cup team," he mentioned. "Looking forward, the franchise thing isn't for me. I want to keep playing for Australia as long as I can, the feeling of success in that team is something I want more of. I'm lucky enough to have signed a two-year with Australia and it's on the basis of wanting to play every game for Australia. It meant I had to make some decisions around franchise cricket."
