Adam Zampa walked off the field in Lahore with figures of 4 for 24, yet his wickets could not prevent a 22-run defeat in Australia’s opening T20 against Pakistan. Afterwards, the leg-spinner made a fairly simple point: if an experimental Australian side found life hard against four Pakistan tweakers, the main squad should brace for even sterner spin in Sri Lanka when the World Cup begins on 11 February.
“Definitely in Sri Lanka,” Zampa said when asked if Thursday’s surface offered a glimpse of what lies ahead. “If anything, the challenge in Pakistan is the low bounce; in Sri Lanka it probably spins and bounces a little bit more.”
The loss came with a caveat. Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Glenn Maxwell, Nathan Ellis and Tim David have remained at home. Mitchell Marsh, Josh Inglis and Marcus Stoinis were rested. Instead, three debutants – Mahli Beardman, Jack Edwards and Matt Renshaw – filled the gaps alongside a group of fringe players. Most struggled for timing on a slow, low pitch; Pakistan’s spin quartet throttled the chase almost from ball one.
Zampa believes the eventual World Cup squad will handle similar surfaces better, partly because they have been through it before and partly because Sri Lankan grounds tend to offer a touch more bounce. “Tonight, I think the challenge was definitely slow off the wicket, and then the low bounce gets you on the bottom of the bat,” he said. “It’s pretty alien for some of the young guys, particularly, in the group.
“Obviously, we’ve got a very different squad in this series as to what we’ll have in the World Cup. A lot more experience comes back then, but exposing those guys in the middle order, particularly to conditions like those tonight, it’s going to be good for them in the long run.”
Former captain Aaron Finch, who lifted the trophy in 2021, echoed that optimism earlier in the week, suggesting Australia’s mix-and-match line-up is no bad thing. In his view, squad flexibility is the major strength of this group, and he believes it “has all bases covered.”
Conditions during the tournament will vary. Sri Lanka hosts the opening phase; India stages the latter rounds. Zampa, who has bowled both regions extensively, feels preparation must be two-pronged. “The first stage of the tournament, particularly in Sri Lanka, the spinners will play a huge role,” he said. “But it’ll change, definitely in India, where my experience is that it’s totally different – good batting wickets as you’ve seen in the latest series with New Zealand there.”
Thursday’s match did offer positives. Beardman, the 20-year-old Perth Scorchers quick, removed two Pakistan batters with consecutive balls to finish with 2 for 33. “He bowled superb tonight,” Zampa noted. Renshaw, coming off dominant domestic white-ball form, looked composed until a mix-up saw him run out for 15. Edwards’ tidy four-over spell hinted at future opportunities. “Jack looks tidy with the ball; he’s definitely going to have a future in Aussie colours,” Zampa added.
Australia and Pakistan meet again on Saturday, and a couple of senior names are expected to return. For coach Andrew McDonald the short-term ambition is obvious: level the series. The larger objective, however, remains calibrating game plans – and mindsets – for whatever Sri Lankan pitches throw up in two weeks’ time.
Zampa’s warning is hardly alarmist; it is grounded in recent evidence and past experience. Australia’s route to another title almost certainly travels through a maze of spin. They have been reminded early – and painfully – that getting lost is still possible.
