In what is surely a surprise move for many, Australia legspinner Adam Zampa has left his Sheffield Shield side New South Wales for a new team in the upcoming season. And it’s Queensland. The 34-year-old, who has played 121 ODIs and 118 T20Is for Australia, has not played a first-class game since 2024 because of a busy international schedule. His stint at Queensland is going to be pretty much similar for the same reason, if truth be told. This is not the first time Zampa has switched allegiance. Before coming to NSW, he represented South Australia for seven long years.
“The leg-spinner lives near Byron Bay on the northern coast of NSW, with the move allowing him greater flexibility and proximity for training. The 34-year-old is a nationally contracted player who is free to represent a state of his choice as he falls outside the domestic salary cap, with Cricket Australia today formally approving his move to Queensland, where he will join forces with fellow leggie Mitch Swepson.
“Test opener Jake Weatherald was the most recent CA-contracted player to switch states earlier this year, returning home to South Australia after three years with Tasmania. Zampa is unlikely to challenge Swepson for red-ball opportunities however, with the Australian white-ball specialist having played just one first-class match in the past three seasons,” cricket.com.au said.
Queensland’s high-performance boss Bennett King is quite pleased with the signing of Zampa, who has taken more than 350 wickets in international cricket but has not played a Test match yet. And it’s highly unlikely he will ever play one at his stage of his career.
“He is a world-class bowler, and his experience and insights will certainly benefit our group. We look forward to assisting him with his goal of continuing to represent Australia with distinction in the future,” King said.
Over the years, Zampa has built a great reputation as a white-ball expert, and then, thanks to the presence of the brilliant Nathan Lyon in the team, the Aussie didn’t really need another full-time spinner. Zampa is at present in England, participating in the Hundred, where he plays for London Spirit. He will join Queensland once the 100-ball event is over. Meanwhile, new Queensland coach and former Aussie cricketer James Hopes is back to his job after a stint in Major League Cricket in the US.
