The leg-spinner was Australia’s best in 22-run loss to Pakistan
Adam Zampa has warned that Australia can expect to be subject to the sort of trial by spin at the World Cup in Sri Lanka that sank them in their opening warm-up T20I against Pakistan.
The 33-year-old spinner was Australia’s stand-out performer as they went down by 22 runs in the first of their warm-up three-match series in Lahore on Thursday after largely being suffocated by the hosts’ excellent four-pronged spin assault.
Zampa, who took 4-24 to ensure it was a competitive affair, accepts it will be a very different Australia side that goes into battle in the opening World Cup fixture against Ireland in Colombo on February 11, bolstered by big guns like Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Glenn Maxwell and Tim David.
And he’s confident their experience of the sort of slow, low conditions that a shadow side, featuring three T20I debutants, found it so difficult to cope with in Lahore will serve Australia well at a World Cup where conditions will differ vastly between the Indian and Sri Lankan venues.
Asked if he felt the Lahore loss was an indication of what was to come at the World Cup, Zampa said: “Definitely in Sri Lanka. If anything, the challenge in Pakistan is the low bounce; in Sri Lanka it probably spins and bounces a little bit more.
“Tonight, I think the challenge was definitely slow off the wicket, and then the low bounce gets you on the bottom of the bat. It’s pretty alien for some of the young guys, particularly, in the group.
“Obviously, we’ve got a very different squad in this series as to what we’ll have in the World Cup. A lot more experience comes back then, but exposing those guys in the middle order, particularly to conditions like those tonight, it’s going to be good for them the long run.
“The conditions will change throughout the World Cup. The first stage of the tournament, particularly in Sri Lanka, the spinners will play a huge role, but it’ll change, definitely in India, where my experience is that it’s totally different — good batting wickets as you’ve seen in the latest series with New Zealand there.”
Zampa was impressed by Australia’s new T20 boys Mahli Beardman, Jack Edwards and Matt Renshaw.
“He bowled superb tonight,” said Zampa of Beardman, the 20-year-old Perth Scorchers’ quick, who ended up with his first two international wickets in two balls in his final over to end with 2-33.
“Matt Renshaw has dominated domestic T20 cricket and improved his white-ball game in the last two years, and looked good before he got run out (for 15) tonight. Jack looks tidy with the ball; he’s definitely going to have a future in Aussie colours.”
Qantas T20I tour of Pakistan 2026
First T20I: January 29, Pakistan beat Australia by 22 runs
Second T20I: January 31, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, 10pm AEDT (4pm PKT)
Third T20I: February 1, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, 10pm AEDT (4pm PKT)
Australia squad: Mitch Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Mahli Beardman, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Mitch Owen, Josh Philippe, Matthew Renshaw, Matt Short, Marcus Stonis, Adam Zampa
