Published: Jan 25, 2016, 10:08 AM (IST)
Edited: Jan 25, 2016, 01:36 PM (IST)
After his tremendous performance in Big Bash League (BBL), Australia’s Adam Zampa got called in for One-Day International (ODI) squad to play against New Zealand. However, in-form batsman However, Usman Khawaja who lead Sydney Thunders to their win in BBL 05 season at Melbourne is kept off from the squad for ODIs against New Zealand. Zampa will be replacing Nathan Lyon for ODIs while Lyon will be trained for Test series to be be played after ODIs. Zampa is the only change for Lyon after defeating India in the ODIs series by 4-1, while Josh Jazlewood will also be returning after his rest in first ODI at Perth. ALSO READ: New Zealand announce ODI squad for Pakistan, Australia series
“We want Nathan to use the NSW versus West Australia Sheffield Shield match in New Zealand as preparation for the Test Series and this will give us a chance to have a good look at Adam ahead of the ICC World T20,” said National Selector Rod Marsh, as reported on cricket.com.au. “Adam has certainly put forward a strong case for selection through good performances in the KFC Big Bash as well as the Matador Cup earlier in the season and we think he has thoroughly earned this opportunity.”
Zampa picked one of the most unique dismissals in cricket history during the BBL season, running out Melbourne Renegades batsman Peter Nevill after the ball deflected off his nose. He was involved in the dismissal of Michael Hussey who played his last match in last season of BBL 05. Zampa has also gone above Australia’s Twenty20 (T20) leggie Cameron Boyce, who conceded 19 runs in one over in Australia’s only T20 match against England last winter. ALSO READ: AUS new faces should focus on T20I series vs IND, not ICC World T20 2016: Michael di
“We know one of the biggest challenges we will face in New Zealand is adapting to the change in conditions. It has been well documented that this is something we have struggled with in recent times and a major focus for this squad will be to reverse that trend,” added Marsh. “The New Zealand side will be very tough to beat in their home conditions. We know we will need to be at the top of our game if we want to be competitive.” The ODI series is set to begin from February 3 at Auckland, which will be only preparation for Australia Test stars. Australian skipper Steven Smith and David Warner will be going to New Zealand way ahead to start their training. They will play only first of the three T20I matches against India on Australia Day blockbuster in Adelaide. ALSO READ: Women’s BBL 2015-16: Sydney Thunder beat Sydney Sixers in final by 3 wickets
While Australia have never lost a match at home since 2012, their record stands tall. In last 10 series played by Australia, since October 2010 of tour to India, Australia have won four, lost five and drawn one. “That challenge (winning away from home) starts in New Zealand next month and we’ll be preparing for conditions there where we’ll be expecting the pitches to seam and the ball to swing around quite a bit, so that will be a tough one first up,” Smith wrote in his cricket.com.au blog. “Wickets in New Zealand will also be a bit slower than what we’re used to here in Australia, so we’re going to have to adapt more quickly than we’ve been able to in some other overseas tours and make sure we’re ready to go from the moment we arrive.”
