Cricket Australia and New South Wales are locked in a war of words over the selection of one Aussie Test hopeful.
Adam Zampa was surprisingly recalled to the New South Wales squad for their Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania at the SCG last week.
The decision has left some in the cricketing community confused, with Zampa, who picked up figures of 4-140 during the match, being chosen over Tanveer Sangha, the side’s regular spinner.
Zampa, one of Australia’s best white-ball spinners, had not played a first-class match for NSW since February 2023.
It appears he is taking steps to make his case for a place in the Australian Test squad that will face Sri Lanka next year.
While uncertainty surrounds why Zampa was dropped back into the NSW side, some, including Australian star Alyssa Healy, have questioned the decision.
“I understand maybe why they went that route… but you’re kind of out of the blue,” Healy told Willow Talk.
Adam Zampa is in the middle of a war of words between Cricket New South Wales and Cricket Australia
The 32-year-old’s selection for NSW has left some in the Australian cricket world confused after he had not played for the state since 2023
Former New South Wales and Australia captain Mark Taylor also reacted to the decision, along with ex-Aussie star Brad Haddin.
Both claimed that the call sends a very bad message to younger stars in the state.
“I just think this selection is really bad… Of course, him [Zampa] doesn’t really want to play first-class cricket,” Taylor said, speaking about the decision to offload Sangha for Zampa.
‘I don’t like the selection, I really don’t. I am disappointed with the selection as I think it sends the wrong message to young cricketers. Not just Tanveer, young cricketers can be dropped but I think it sends a bad message.
“State cricket should have the best spinner in the state and what they are saying is that it is a player who does not play in the state.”
Despite this, Cricket Australia high-performance manager Ben Oliver has claimed that Australian bosses had not given any guidance to NSW to pick Zampa.
“The national selection panels are in regular contact with each state association, but ultimately selection for any Sheffield Shield match or domestic fixture is very much the domain of the state association,” Oliver said in a statement.
He added: “That process was consistent with this most recent round of Shield cricket.”
Some NSW bosses have claimed Australia last week instructed the state to field Zampa against Tasmania
Stuart Clark claims NSW were told by Cricket Australia to play Zampa in the hope Zampa could travel for their tour of Sri Lanka next year
Zampa is yet to make his Test debut for Australia and had rejoined NSW in 2020 after spending time in South Australia.
Despite Oliver’s comments on the matter, NSW Cricket Board member and selector Stuart Clark claimed they had been instructed to use Zampa.
“The problem I have with it, when it came to Adam Zampa, we didn’t have a discussion because we didn’t have to. We were told he had to play,” Clark told ABC Radio.
“To be honest, I don’t understand Cricket Australia’s comment because we didn’t have to have a robust debate about his selection. His selection was a foregone conclusion that he was on the team.”
And it looks like the situation could escalate even further.
“I’m going to ask Lee Germon from Cricket NSW to clarify this by perhaps writing to Cricket Australia and putting on my board member hat because we don’t understand this,” he said.
‘What we were told and what appears in the press is exactly the opposite. They make no sense.
‘Or we, as selectors, are wrong; have we misunderstood? But I am quite clear because I have received messages saying that Adam Zampa should be in the team and there is no point in talking about his selection.”
Zampa picked up match figures of 4-140 during NSW’s 55-run defeat to Tasmania last week
Zampa returned to the side at the expense of young New South Wales regular Tanveer Sangha
The Sydney Morning Herald claims that New South Wales head of cricket George Baily and Australia’s chief selector George Baily had held discussions about Zampa’s inclusion before the match.
It is understood that NSW had been informed that the cricketer is eligible for selection for Australia’s tour to Sri Lanka.
Clark, meanwhile, added that Zampa was a quality bowler but he needed to be more in the NSW side if he wanted to play red ball cricket.
“If he wants to be part of the four-day format then he probably needs to be there and come to training and play a bit of cricket and things like that,” Clark said. “He’s a quality bowler and there’s no reason why he can’t be successful.”