Pulling out of the IPL was the best thing for me ahead of WC: Adam Zampa

New Delhi,UPDATED: Jun 9, 2024 07:57 IST

Star Australia wrist-spinner Adam Zampa has said that pulling out of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 was the best thing for him ahead of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024. Zampa bowled a brilliant spell of 2/28 in four overs against England during Match 17 on Saturday, June 8 at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados.

Courtesy of his spell, Australia managed to beat England by 36 runs to register their second consecutive win of the tournament. Following his match-winning show, the wrist spinner revealed that pulling out of the IPL was the best thing for him as he had some niggles.

“Yeah, obviously made that decision a little while ago to pull out of the IPL and I thought it was the best thing for me moving forward into this World Cup. I was tired, I had some niggles and I'm a family man as well, so trying to put them first over work sometimes is pretty important,” said Zampa in the post-match press conference.

T20 World Cup 2024, AUS vs ENG: Highlights | Full Scorecard

Further speaking ahead, the 32-year-old said that he had to put in a little bit of extra work ahead of the event to get his body ready.

“So, yeah, I actually am a bit of a slow starter and I put in a little bit of extra work. My body feels great and just did that bit of extra work. Maybe a bit more bowling than I usually would before a tournament like this. And then the practice games and everything just feels nice at the moment. And yeah, I think it's, I am a little bit of a slow starter, but this feels like a rare occasion where I've started how I want to,” he added.

Zampa dismissed both England openers

Coming back to the Australia vs England game, after being put in to bat first, Australia posted a massive score of 201/7 in their allotted 20 overs with valuable contributions from David Warner (39 off 16), Mitchell Marsh (35 off 25) and Travis Head (34 off 18). In reply, England got off to a brilliant start with openers Jos Buttler (42 off 28) and Philip Salt (37 off 23) adding 73 runs for the first wicket off 43 balls.

However, Zampa brought Australia back in the game by dismissing both of them. After their dismissals, the defending champions lost the plot and could only reach 165/6 in their 20 overs. England will next take on Oman on June 13 while Australia will lock horns with Namibia on June 12.