Spinner Adam Zampa on Saturday said his match-winning World Cup show with bat and ball against defending champions England was his most satisfying performance in one-day cricket.
Zampa hit 29 off 19 balls in a late flourish and then returned 3-21 with his leg-spin at the world’s biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad.
The stellar show knocked England out of the tournament and boosted Australia’s chances of making the semifinals with their fifth straight victory.
“I’d say tonight is as satisfying as it feels after an ODI in terms of my 10 overs,” said Zampa, who has claimed 161 wickets in 92 ODIs, after Australia’s 33-run win.
“Bowling mainly to lefties, (Dawid) Malan, (Ben) Stokes, (Moeen) Ali, they’re quality players. And to sit back, knowing that I went for 20 runs off 10 overs, my length control was as good as it’s been, it was a really satisfying one tonight.”
Zampa had a bizarre start to the tournament when he swam into the wall of a hotel pool, suffered from back spasms and then caught a fever.
He leads the tournament bowling with 19 wickets after a day which saw him first send back England skipper Jos Buttler, out for one.
He then broke a key stand to dismiss Stokes, for 64, after the left-hand batsman attempted a paddle sweep to be caught at short fine-leg.
Another wicket of Moeen on 42 and Zampa kept up his charge in the tournament where he has already claimed three four-wicket hauls.
Zampa said he enjoyed dismissing his friend Buttler.
“He smacks me a lot as well, particularly in T20 cricket,” he said.
“I know that you’ll say that I’ve got a good ODI record against him, but I think I got him out three times after they won the T20 World Cup and I’m not sure he’d sobered up yet.
“So yeah, it’s always satisfying to get a player like him out. He’s a good friend of mine as well and a big wicket in the English team, big wicket.”
But it was his batting that left everyone surprised.
Marnus Labuschagne top-scored with 71 to set up Australia’s total but it was Zampa’s late hitting and a 38-run ninth-wicket stand with Mitchell Starc that steered them to 286 all out, a total that proved enough.
“Batting innings, really satisfying, it’s probably the most satisfying ODI I’ve ever played to be honest,” said Zampa.
“To be able to contribute with the bat, I mean, ‘Starky’ and I spoke about trying to take it deep, staying fairly positive, because we stuffed it up against New Zealand.” – SuperSport.