Sheffield Shield: Cricket Australia and NSW split over Zampa selection in left field

Cricket Australia (CA) has insisted there was no guideline to select New South Wales (NSW). Adam Zampa for the previous round of Sheffield Shield matches after status selector Stuart Clark said they were forced to choose the legspinner by the board's command.

The move to take on Zampa against Tasmania at the SCG led to a promising 23-year-old legspinner Tanveer Sangha is left out so Zampa can team up with Chris Green, who is out of a NSW contract himself after opting to go freelance earlier this season. Zampa is not training with NSW in between Australia commitments as he lives in Byron Bay.

It was Zampa's first Sheffield Shield match since February 2023 and came amid rumors he would tour Sri Lanka early next year. He claimed 4 for 140 from 40.2 overs across two innings. It is yet to be confirmed whether Zampa will play Western Australia in the final round of Shield matches for the BBL, but after the Tasmania match Zampa indicated he was keen to play again.

Last week, CA's head of high performance Ben Olivier said domestic selection calls were entirely in the hands of the states.

“The national selection panel is in regular contact with each state association, but ultimately selection for any Sheffield Shield match or domestic fixture is very much the domain of the state association,” Oliver said. “The selection panel is very pleased to see all the players playing domestic cricket and have as many options as possible for each of our upcoming series.”

In an update provided to ESPNcricinfo on Saturday following Clark's comments, Oliver added: “That [selection] process was consistent with the most recent round of Sheffield Shield.”

It is understood that, amid discussions surrounding Zampa, CA had asked NSW if it was their intention to select him against Tasmania and that, if they did not include him, the national selectors would include him as part of the XI squad the Prime Minister would have made. India in Canberra, even if it is a day-night event.

However, that was not Clark's opinion when he was interviewed ABC Stand. “When it came to Adam Zampa, we didn't have a discussion because we didn't have to. We were told he had to play,” said Clark, the former Australian who is also a NSW board member. “To be honest, I don't understand what Cricket Australia's comment is because we didn't have to have a robust debate about his selection. It was a foregone conclusion that he was in the team. I don't know where this comment comes from.” comes from.

'I'm going to ask [NSW chief executive] Lee Germon…to clarify this by maybe writing to Cricket Australia and putting on my board member hat and saying we don't understand this,” Clark added. What we were told to do, and what is being reported in the press, is exactly the opposite. They make no sense. Or we as selectors are wrong. I don't know, did we get it wrong? But I am quite clear because I have received messages saying that Adam Zampa should be in the team and there is no point in discussing his selection.”

Former NSW and Australia wicketkeeper Brad Haddin There was major criticism of the selection. “I'm an Adam Zampa fan but I don't think he should be playing this Shield game. He's not coming to training, he's not part of the NSW system. I just think it's a really bad message to our younger players.” players in the team,” he told the club Willow Talk podcast.

“Tanveer Sangha, what kind of message does that send to him? Chris Green is also playing. Chris Green gave his contract back at the beginning of this year and said, 'No, I want to go there and play a tournament wherever I want.' 'I don't want to be eligible for a few matches'.”

On the same show, captain of Australia Alyssa Healey said it was possible to understand why NSW had chosen Zampa, but added: “You're taking the piss a bit [out of] of the wide blue”.

Zampa has previously spoken about his desire to earn a Test cap. After the match against Tasmania, he said he was a much more confident bowler than when he played most of his first-class cricket before 2018.

“I wanted to play a lot of first-class cricket when I was young but I probably wasn't good enough or as confident as I am now,” Zampa had said. “I've bowled a lot more bad balls than I know about. I wasn't confident in my own reading of the game, whereas now I feel like I can read guys a lot better and have less mental fog. It's being able to ​​to have a little more resilience on day-one wickets when you're trying to get an end.

“It [Test cricket] is something I would like to do and challenge myself in. If I had to end my career and it didn't turn out that way, I would be okay with that. Maybe one day I'll look back and feel like maybe I didn't try 100%. “I feel like playing these games, raising my hand for the Sri Lanka tour and being excited because that's fine.”

George BaileyAustralia's national selector, has previously said that Shield form would not be a decisive criterion in choosing the side for Sri Lanka, given the vastly different circumstances. Glenn Maxwell, who was about to play his first Shield match in almost two years and be part of the Premier's XI, before taking a hamstring injury against Pakistanis also in the frame.