ICC T20 WORLD CUP 2021

November 4, 2021

Adam Zampa

Dubai International Stadium

Australia

Post Match Media Conference

Q. How do you deal with the game where you just demolished the Bangladesh team? How did you manage the game?

ADAM ZAMPA: Yeah, obviously we wanted to come out really aggressive. We have some interesting memories of the last time we played Bangladesh, and that was in our minds a little bit, so yeah, we obviously have a little bit of a different team, have some really fast bowlers, and we wanted to be aggressive early. We know that if we give a team like Bangladesh a little sniff or a little chance, they'll take it. They're a really talented team, have some really dangerous players. Obviously have a pretty big out in terms of Shakib.

But yeah, we just set about being aggressive, trying to get early wickets, and yeah, go from there.

Q. Quite the bowling performance from you today; that's got to be among the more satisfying spells that you would have bowled in T20 cricket?

ADAM ZAMPA: Yeah, it was an interesting one. Obviously you look at cricket as a results-based game. You see the five wickets. But it wasn't the best I've bowled. But yeah, in terms of the situation of our World Cup and how important a big win was, yeah, it feels really good to be able to contribute. Obviously to bowl them out for 70-odd and get the runs so quick, gets us up to second on the ladder now.

So yeah, it's a satisfying win, and it was a really important one for us.

Q. Quite the statement obviously a few games back losing to England. Do you now feel that you've responded following that loss and Australia are now approaching full throttle?

ADAM ZAMPA: Yeah, obviously it's been a really weird World Cup. You feel like some guys in our team haven't really spent much time out in the middle. Obviously, you want to win games like we did today, but I don't know about full throttle. I think it's really important that this West Indies game is the next one on our minds. They're a really dangerous team, and same as Bangladesh, they played really well against us a few months ago. Yeah, they're a really dangerous team, really important to win this next one so that we can secure -- hopefully secure our place in the finals.

Q. My question to you is was there any nervousness or any kind of pressure, like any kind of mind of how you will be playing in the further tournament for Australia for qualifying for the semifinals?

ADAM ZAMPA: There was a little bit of a conversation we had about not worrying about net run rate; just trying to win these two games was what we spoke about. But once we bowled them out for 73, we did have a conversation in the changing rooms before the batting innings about getting the runs before the eighth over. Once we got in the situation where we felt like it was a target and doable, then the conversation was had.

I wouldn't say we were nervous about it. We felt really confident going into today's game, but yeah, it was a conversation had at the halfway mark.

Q. You were talking just there very briefly about playing Bangladesh a couple of months ago in Bangladesh and Dakar. How useful was that experience in helping you with today's performance?

ADAM ZAMPA: Yeah, it was probably more useful for the bowlers in our team. They have some really good young players, some dangerous guys that, yeah, they can win a game. I think in terms of our batsmen, the conditions were pretty alien in Dakar. They were the toughest wickets that we've probably come across in international cricket. It was probably going to be a different kind of bowling that we faced, even though a very similar bowling attack that we played against a few months ago.

I feel like this wicket was probably obviously a little bit better for batting. Their game plans probably changed, but for us we had some gold nuggets on the Bangladesh batsmen that we definitely tried to use.

Q. Can you talk us through the hat-trick ball? Looked like you might have had a bit of a wry smile on your face after that one.

ADAM ZAMPA: Yeah, because I got the two wickets probably three overs before my next ball, I actually didn't think anyone else knew that I was on a hat trick. Actually I wanted it that way because I didn't feel like I wanted the batsman to know, either, in case he tried to slug one or whatever. Yeah, I said, oh, Wadey, that was my hat trick, Mate. He goes, yeah, I know, I tried to catch it for you. Yeah, hence the wry smile. But yeah, I've never got a hat trick, still haven't got one, but I couldn't really blame Wadey too much; he's been taking some beautiful catches in this World Cup in particular.

Q. I wanted to ask you about the West Indies series earlier this year and looking ahead to your next game against them. What are the kind of things you picked up from that series that might hold you in good stead going into that match?

ADAM ZAMPA: Yeah, it's always nice to have -- as I said, we tried to use on Bangladesh a couple of gold nuggets that we feel like could have worked against them, and it's going to be the same against West Indies. Obviously they're such a dangerous side, particularly for me personally as a spin bowler. They've got guys that can hit it out of the park. I'm going to have to be on my game. Pretty important game for us as everyone knows, but obviously we've got the big quicks that we feel like that's probably going to be a bit of an ace against these guys, but yeah, really important game.

Q. I think that was your first five-for for Australia. Can you talk about the emotions around that achievement?

ADAM ZAMPA: Yeah, as I said earlier, I feel like sometimes I've actually bowled better without that result. Felt like the ball didn't exactly land where I wanted it to today, but result-based game and nice to have one against my name now, something that's definitely -- probably not that I've thought about too much, but I know it's eluded me for the last six years I've been playing for Australia, so nice to tick that box.

Q. You obviously took a little bit of tap against England last time out. Is it easy to stay level and write that off as something that just happens from time to time in this tournament?

ADAM ZAMPA: Well, I wouldn't say easy to write off. Obviously it's disappointing -- that whole game for us was really disappointing, and hopefully we can use that as a learning curve. I'll definitely personally try to be doing that. We might be coming up against England in the finals, and yeah, it would be nice to try and take some learnings from that game and make sure it doesn't happen again.

Q. Just obviously Australia went back to their seven specialist batters bringing Mitch Marsh back in. Was it, do you think, a plan you might stick with going forward?

ADAM ZAMPA: We're going to be really flexible with that, I think. The conversation has really been a lot about matchups. Ash in particular has had a great few years in this team. He's really important. He's been our best bowler, really handy No. 7 or 8 batsman and one of our best fielders. To have him sitting on the bench, it's really stiff on Ash, but the matchups thing is really important.

Today we felt like the extra pace was going to work for us, but it'll be up to the selectors to decide whether or not we feel like it's going to be 7-4 or 6-5, whether it's going to be three quicks, one spinner or two and two. It'll be interesting to see. Obviously the wickets here are really conducive to spin, but our bowlers are bowling really well at the moment.