Australian wrist-spinner Adam Zampa is preparing for the worst ahead of what is expected to be a rain-affected start to the nation's T20 World Cup campaign.
Thunderstorms and heavy rain have been predicted for the Sydney region in the days leading up to their tournament opening contest against New Zealand on Saturday. Though soggy conditions have typically posed a challenge to wrist-spin bowlers, the 30-year-old has taken preparation upon himself.
Zampa told reporters he's been training with balls dipped in water and believes that, combined with his experience playing in moist conditions, stands him in good stead ahead of Saturday's game.
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“It feels like every time we're in Sydney we're (expecting) rain,” Zampa said, per cricket.com.au.
“I know there might be some rain around. There might even be some dew if we bowl second.
“The way that I train, I always have that in the back of my mind. I usually have a bucket (of water) that I drop the ball in to prepare for that. It's all about getting ready for it.
“If there's some weather around and there's a bit of juice in the wicket, it will help the spinners.
“We haven't had a summer (in Australia) for a long time now where there's been (much) sun so the wickets have been dry enough to spin.
“As a spinner, if there's a bit of juice in the deck, you almost hope for that.”
Though he was one of Australia's best bowlers in last year's T20 World Cup in the UAE, Zampa believes that local knowledge can help him have an even better campaign on his home turf, despite the differences between the respective environments.
“The advantage I have is that I've played at all these grounds and understand where to try and get guys to hit,” Zampa said.
“The difference with Dubai was that you can try and go under the bat there a little more. The wickets are a little bit slower and spin – particularly last year, when we bowled first a lot.
“In Australia you can try and hit the top of the bat, bowl a lot of overspin and try to get guys caught at long-on and long-off.
“So, it is a little bit different. Side-spin here is not really a key factor. It's more about getting guys hitting the top of the bat.”
