16 October - Lucknow - Australia player Adam Zampa post-match press conference
[Reporter:]
I just heard on the broadcast, you had a bit of a back spasm leading in. Were you ever a chance of not playing this match? And I guess how pleasing is it to put in performance like that, especially after a tough start to the campaign for the team?
[Adam Zampa:]
Yeah, this is a bit of a random one to be honest. I did a gym session a couple of nights ago and I don't know if you've ever had a back spasm, but I was worse for wear the last couple of days. I had to do a fitness test before the game today. Yeah, I felt like adrenaline was going to get me through and a bit of Panadein Forte. So yeah, it was a tough one to get through today, but yeah, I think as I said, one of those random ones that will wear off in the next day or so.
[Reporter:]
And did you find it took you a little bit longer to get into your rhythm? Because the second half of your performance, that's where you took all your wickets and you and Pat really tore through the middle order there.
[Adam Zampa:]
Yeah, definitely. It took me a lot longer than I wanted to get into the game today. Yeah, I mean, bowling to set batters as well, trying to build some pressure, I just wasn't really able to do that. I won't make any excuses. I think I should be good enough to kind of play that role as well. But yeah, just it's taking me a lot longer to get into the game than I would have liked. And then I thought Cummins’ spell in particular was a bit of a game changer for us and even his energy in the field, the run out after the rain break, yeah, it changed the energy for us. And then once, you know, I was able to get a couple, we got on a bit of a roll and the energy changed in the group. So yeah, we needed that one.
[Reporter:]
You touched on Pat there and his spell. Not sure if it came across your desk, the talk about him potentially losing his spot ahead of this game. What were your thoughts on that and just, I suppose, just how has it been for him from your view going through, you know, a fair bit of scrutiny in recent times?
[Adam Zampa:]
We all back each other 100% in this team, so I don't really know what's been said or what people are reading, but the only thing that I saw come on the WhatsApp group was same 11 as last game. So yeah, there's no pressure on Pat there. As I said, we’ve got a really good feeling in the group in terms of backing each other, looking after each other. So yeah, I don't know who said that.
[Reporter:]
And just the mood generally in the group having won this game tonight, what is the mood like and what do you think it can do moving forward from here to sort of give you a platform in the comp?
[Adam Zampa:]
Yeah, I mean - after the first two games there's definitely a flat feeling in the change rooms. We all know that I think you could probably go from 1 to 11 and say we all could do our roles a little bit better, particularly those first two games. But we know, as Boss said the other day, we get backed into a corner and guys step up and we get on a roll, then anything can happen. It's a World Cup, so get on a roll. Obviously, really big game against Pakistan in Bangalore, and if we can put it all together and play a good game there, you go 2 and 2 and the feeling's much better.
[Reporter:]
Over in the lead up to this game, in the media, you see your combined figures from the first two games coming up a lot. And a lot of talk about Australia's spin attack in this World Cup and all of that. Have you felt any sort of pressure because you're the one, the big main wicket-taking spinner in the squad and also how has the team sort of backed you through what's been a difficult start for you?
[Adam Zampa:]
I'm very good at self-reflection. So yeah, I look back on the first two games and I'll probably look at the last game as one where I could have made a difference there and made it easy for those other guys. But yeah, the Indian game, I mean, we're under the pump defending 200 and I'm always going to be the guy who tries to get wickets. I'm not going to try and let the game peter out and let it go into nothing. So yeah, figures, whatever. It's more about my attitude and reflecting on that too. Did I bowl the ball where I wanted it to? Did I make the right decisions? Did I put my game on the line to try and make a difference? And that's how I think about it. I don't really care about combined figures. It's just doing what I can to try and help win the game.
[Reporter:]
Against India, bowling conditions, there was a lot of dew, it was tough to grip the ball. The last two games, the ball during the day, how much of a difference is it proving to be in this World Cup, if anyone’s bowling first and bowling second, as a spinner?
[Adam Zampa:]
Yeah, I think it just depends on the grounds that we're playing. I found that didn't really make any difference here. I know that we didn't bowl second in the second game against South Africa. But yeah, I think some grounds - we always try and think about the IPL and how much it gets easier to bat in the second innings, But the games start a lot later. So, it hasn't really made much of a difference in terms of that second innings batting, if anything, we found against South Africa, it actually did more once the lights came on as well. So yeah, I mean, Yeah, it's just going to be dependent on the grounds and the weather and I wish I was a weatherman, I have no idea.
[Reporter:]
Neither do I. But speaking of weather, just being in the middle when it felt at one point that the stadium was coming apart and stuff was falling around, like what was it like being out there?
[Adam Zampa:]
Yeah, I've never been a part of that. Never seen anything like that. Quite lucky that there was no one harmed hopefully. Yeah, because that metal pole coming down could have seriously hurt someone so never seen anything like that and then yeah, the dust the windstorm was straight into the goggles.
[Reporter:]
So, what was Warner's reaction to the LBW dismissal? He seemed very infuriated by that. And also, Australia have seen a number of marginal decisions go against them. How does the team cope with that?
[Adam Zampa:]
When David Warner gets out or Steve Smith gets out, you kind of just disappear from the change room. So, I am not sure of his reaction. But yeah, we had one. I had that LBW off my bowling today that kind of went our way as well. So, it's, yeah, just, I don't know. I'm not going to try and judge the DRS on what it does. It's the technology that does its thing.
[Reporter:]
If you just take us a little bit inside the conversations when Sri Lanka were 125 for the first wicket, not able to get a wicket in the powerplay and then sort of the intensity after that and sort of how you guys were able to respond given South Africa did the same thing four days ago?
[Adam Zampa:]
Yeah, we'd mentioned it out there. Obviously, the first two games, we'd known that we'd been a bit flat and then that happened again. You know, the conversation around the drinks breaks and even the early wickets there was to lift the energy a bit and I thought the fielders did a really good job of that. The ring kind of tightened up and then Davey’s [Warner] couple of catches, changed the game for us. And then obviously mentioned Pat [Cummins], he kind of led from the front. His spell changed the momentum of the game. And then same as in the field, that run out, those little things can turn scores from 210 to 260 and it's game on. So, he particularly led from the front.
[Reporter:]
You had your wrong’un going well tonight. Do you feel like that's a bit of a barometer for you and that you're bowling that well?
[Adam Zampa:]
Yes and no. I mean, tailenders come out. It's kind of my wicket-taking option. So yeah, I do. It's kind of something that I go back to in my head if I feel like I'm not in the game. I go, right, how can I get a wicket and how can I get myself bowling better, more energy? Can I try a little bit more, put the batsman under the pump, roll in sliders or whatever it is? I guess if that's coming out well, I feel like I've got the confidence to bowl wherever I want it.
[Reporter:]
And just on the batting innings, you lost Smith and Warner early, obviously the two big names there, but just how much confidence do you have in them and in rest of the order, to get that job done tonight?
[Adam Zampa:]
Yeah, Marnus does what Marnus does and then it made guys like - it made Ingo's [Josh Inglis] job a lot easier. He obviously put the bowlers under the pump straight away. Theekshana - hitting him for two boundaries in two balls… it does it… it changes the momentum instead of having that kind of attacking feeling when you're bowling to a new batter that kind of just makes you go straight back to your defensive stuff so he put the pressure back on the bowler and to get a run-a-ball on that wicket was great innings and then Maxie decided to work on the net run rate, so, him and Stoin [Stoinis] finished it off really well.