Eng vs Aus 1st ODI – Adam Zampa: ODIs are always very important for young players

Zampa will play his 100th ODI in the opening match against England at Trent Bridge on Thursday having established himself as Australia’s most important white-ball bowler. He reiterated that for him, international cricket will always mean more than the T20 franchise and, although he did not put a specific timeline on his career, he is determined to win “many” World Cups.

“There have been a lot of questions about the ODI format and what that looks like [like] moving forward,” he said. “As far as playing for Australia and that drive, I think every young person coming up still thinks that’s all you have to do and that’s it.”

“Obviously there are other opportunities in terms of franchise cricket and that’s good,” said Zampa. “A lot has been said about how the market is saturated but all these different competitions give other guys opportunities, whether they are guys who have just played BBL or Blast, there are opportunities to develop themselves in different franchises. levels, even if they are going on at the same time which seems to be the case right now.

“But it feels like playing for your country is still a priority. I agree with you, I don’t know how it will look in the next few years, especially in this way, but I feel that ODI cricket is still a very good format. , I still enjoy playing it and I think a lot of young guys still see it as a good opportunity to play for your country .”

“The feeling of playing for your country and winning for your country goes beyond playing franchise cricket and winning franchise cricket,” he said. “I hit a hundred, it was great, I love playing it, and to win at the end is a bonus but it hits in a different way when you play for your country, when you win world cups. I still have that drive to win many more.”

Zampa will be with his wife, Harriet, and baby boy at the 100th ODI along with his parents. “It means a lot to me,” he said. “I never thought I would play for Australia so much.”