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Australian captain Mitchell Marsh has heaped praise on Adam Zampa as the leg-spinner prepares to play his 100th One Day International (ODI) against England on Thursday. Reflecting on Zampa's journey, Marsh addressing a news conference highlighted the significant impact the bowler has had on the team and his development into one of Australia's premier ODI players.
"I think 100 games these days is a really special achievement," Marsh said at the pre match press conference. "Zamps' (Adam Zampa) career has certainly had its ups and downs, being in and out of the side at times, but the way he's gone about it over the last probably four or five years is commendable," he further added. Marsh emphasized Zampa's growth both as a cricketer and as an individual. "The person that he's become and, more importantly for us as a team, the cricketer that he's become is something that we're really grateful for. He's certainly tracking towards being one of our greatest ever ODI players," Marsh noted. Highlighting Zampa's importance to the team, Marsh continued, "There's no hiding the fact that he's one of our go-to men with the ball over a 50-over period. That has been one of the challenges he's taken in his stride over the last few years. He's been that person for us, and he certainly thrives off the bigger moments, which is what all great players do." Marsh also lauded Zampa's ability to perform under pressure. "It's a real credit to the way he's gone about his work," he added. Zampa has taken 169 wickets in 99 matches, with his best figures of 5/35 against New Zealand in 2022. He has played 92 T20Is and scalped 111 wickets. In the T20I bowlers' rankings, he (662 rating) is just one rating point behind Sri Lanka's Wanindu Hasaranga in fifth place, though he remained some way behind England's Adil Rashid in first (721 rating). Zampa expressed his desire to keep playing ODI cricket. "There's been a lot of questions about the ODI format and what that looks [like] going forward. In terms of playing for Australia and that drive, I think every young guy coming through still thinks that's the be-all and end-all. There are obviously those other opportunities in terms of franchise cricket, and that's good. There's been a lot said about how it's a saturated market, but all these different competitions give other guys opportunities," Zampa said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo. (ANI)
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