Australia legspinner Adam Zampa has returned to his home state New South Wales after seven seasons with South Australia.
Zampa made his first-class debut for NSW in 2012 and played three Sheffield Shield matches and four one-day games for them before moving to South Australia in 2013, where he picked up 95 first-class wickets and 51 one-day wickets in 35 and 34 matches respectively.
“The prospect of moving back home and being able to play for the state I started with and where I played my junior cricket means a lot to me,” Zampa said. “The thing I’m looking forward to the most is playing with some guys that I was really close with when I was a rookie at NSW. The likes of Sean Abbott, Dan Hughes and Harry Conway. I love pushing guys around me to get better and I think NSW cricket teams have always been a great environment for this.”
Zampa fills the gap created by left-arm spinner Steve O’Keefe’s retirement from first-class cricket earlier this year after NSW decided not to offer him a contract.
In the last two years, Zampa played only three Shield games for South Australia – where he picked up five wickets – but he is geared up. “I’m looking forward to testing myself in Shield cricket with a team of this calibre and I’m hoping to get the opportunity of playing with Nathan Lyon down the track. My partner Harriet and I will be able to spend a lot more time with both our families.”
Zampa is one of seven contracted international players in the NSW side alongside Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc and David Warner.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo