Two years ago Moeen Ali “got” Adam Zampa, crashing 18 runs off an over to win a Twenty20 for England in Manchester. A couple of weeks ago Zampa returned the favour, dismissing Moeen in Canberra.
Not only will Friday’s MCG World Cup encounter be critical for Australia and England, it also looms as something of a tie-breaker for their duel.
Where Zampa was Australia’s bowler of last year’s T20 World Cup in the UAE, Moeen has become England’s silken sledgehammer in the middle order, using his combination of elegance and power to feast on all bowlers, but particularly spin.
Adam Zampa twirling another one down for Australia.Credit:Getty Images
Given another over by Melbourne’s weather on Wednesday night and it’s almost certain that Moeen would have pulled his side past Ireland in a game that, having been lost, means Friday’s fixture means so much more for both sides.
Zampa, admired around the world for making up in skill and guile what he may lack in sheer breadth of spin, is recovering from COVID-19 and bowled in the Junction Oval indoor nets on a rainy Thursday.
He has spoken about how in 2020, he backed himself against Moeen and Jos Buttler (England needed 18 off 12 at Old Trafford when he bowled the 19th over), and lost spectacularly.
“We were playing a T20 against England two years ago and Moeen was on strike. They needed 18 off two overs,” Zampa told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. “Generally a batting team with two batters in will win that game, and they got it in my one over because I’d said, ‘Just give me the ball, I’ll get them out.’
“So that day it didn’t make a difference but it’s something where I’ve learnt from the over and I’ll be better for it. I was in that situation against Moeen in the 17th over in Canberra [during the recent series] and was much better off.”
Whether he is bowling to Moeen or another member of the England top seven, Zampa knows that in T20 there are very few places in which a spin bowler can hide.
“ODI and T20 cricket are totally different because in T20 cricket it is almost a gut feel and you can be thrown to the wolves a little bit, saying we need to bowl spin in the powerplay,” Zampa said.
“Young guys definitely need time to know how to deal with that. It’s a cliche to say spinners aren’t at their best until a certain age, but it’s the truth.
“I’ve felt that over the last few years, the more I play, the more you know how to prepare, the more research you do on other players, the more you play against other players, the more success you will have. The more comfortable you are in the team, the more willing you are to try things.”
Australia’s captain Aaron Finch said he was glad of the thought of Zampa’s return, after missing his wrist spin and attitude during the win over Sri Lanka in Perth.
Moeen Ali has had his struggles in Tests in Australia but is a key plank of England’s T20 middle order.Credit:AAP
“That’s a really good battle and that’s one thing where, Mo is obviously an unbelievable striker of spin, and Zamps is always up for the challenge and that’s the great trait he’s got,” Finch said.
“He never backs away from a challenge, he takes it on, he wants to be there in the heat of battle, and that’s something I admire so much about him.
“Compared to other guys around the world he doesn’t spin the ball as much as them, but what he’s got is a huge heart and his accuracy, his cricket brain, the amount he does in preparation for a game is outstanding. So when you play against world-class players either batting or bowling, you’re going to have days where they get you, or you get them.”
Finch may be struggling to find the batting touch of his best days, but his value as a captain can be measured by an understanding with Zampa that has helped the spinner excel in circumstances where others might have wilted.
“We have really good conversations about spin bowling and different plans to different batters while we’re out there as well,” Zampa said. “He’s usually at short cover and we have a lot of good chats. My improvement has had a lot to do with Finchy.”
