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New Delhi, September 18 (HS). The first match of Australia's upcoming ODI series against England at Trent Bridge on September 19 will also be Adam Zampa's 100th match in the 50-over format. On the verge of reaching this milestone, Zampa said that he never expected to play so many matches in ODIs for his country.
Zampa will become the 32nd Australian male player to play 100 ODIs. He will also become only the third specialist spinner to achieve this feat for Australia after Shane Warne and Brad Hogg. Zampa's wife Harriet, son Eugene and parents Darren and Alison will be present at Trent Bridge to see the leg-spinner achieve this feat.
Speaking to cricket.com.au, Jampa said, “I am proud to have played 100 ODIs, I never thought I would be able to play so many for Australia. When you look at how many matches people play in ODI cricket nowadays, very few people reach 100, especially compared to people of the past; in the 1990s and early 2000s there was definitely a lot of ODI cricket and no T20. I am getting close to playing 200 international matches overall (191), so I never thought I would be able to play so many.”
In 99 ODIs, Zampa has taken 169 wickets at an average of 28.05 and an economy rate of 5.47. Although Zampa has won the T20 World Cup and ODI World Cup for Australia in 2021 and 2023 respectively, he said that the desire to win more World Cups is still burning inside him, especially considering the 2026 Men's T20 World Cup which is taking place in India and Sri Lanka.
He said, “Playing for your country and winning is much better than playing franchise cricket and winning franchise cricket. I experienced The Hundred (for 2024 champions Oval Invincibles) and it was fantastic. I loved playing it and winning at the end was a bonus. But it is different when you play for your country and when you win the World Cup, and I still have the desire to win many more.”