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Adam Zampa produced a match-winning spell of 4-21 against Oman, but the figures brought him no satisfaction. Australia’s nine-wicket victory was a consolation prize—they were already eliminated from the T20 World Cup after back-to-back losses to Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka .
“It’s feeling pretty hollow, to be honest,” Zampa said after the match . “You’d prefer to have the wickets than not, but it’s probably the worst-feeling four-for I’ve ever got. To be sitting here right now, knowing that I’m flying home tomorrow—I didn’t envision this, that’s for sure. So it’s a flat feeling” .
Three World Cups, Three Disappointments
Zampa placed this exit in the context of Australia’s broader T20 World Cup struggles. Since winning the title in 2021, Australia have failed to progress deep in subsequent tournaments—narrowly missing the semi-finals as hosts in 2022 and falling in the Super Eights in 2024 .
“I guess we’re renowned for being good tournament teams, but since we won in 2021 we kind of get through the World Cup really disappointed,” Zampa reflected . “In 2022 and 2024—particularly those two teams I think we probably should have given it a nudge and got close to winning it” .
The leg-spinner admitted he spent the previous three days “reflecting on how the last three World Cups have gone, given what we had achieved in between the World Cups” .
The Bilateral vs. Tournament Puzzle
Australia have consistently ranked among the world’s top two or three white-ball teams, regularly pushing India in bilateral series. Yet tournament success has proven elusive .
“We always give India a run for their money when we play them in bilateral series. Sometimes they beat us, sometimes we beat them, so we’re a good team. But then results like this—it’s just hard to fathom” .
No Complacency, Says Zampa
Despite suggestions Australia might prioritize the Ashes over T20 World Cups, Zampa insisted the team invests heavily in white-ball cricket—potentially even more than the Test side .
“The time that the coaches and the staff put into how we’re going to play our T20 cricket and who’s going to play each role and what our preparation is—I think they’d probably put as much time into that as they would Test cricket,” Zampa said . “I don’t know, but potentially even more time” .
He acknowledged that Australian fans don’t see enough of the team’s white-ball cricket to appreciate their preparation. “We play like three to six games at home in the summer. We do a lot of our work away from Australian time, so they don’t get to see the way we play and have prepared for these World Cups” .
Captain Mitchell Marsh had described the team as “devastated” and “shattered” after their second consecutive loss . Against Oman, they showed their quality—but it was too little, too late
