Zampa confident of 'huge' World Cup impact

Zampa and his fellow spinner Lyon were Australia's most-used bowlers during the recent one-day international series win against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates, taking 12 wickets between them across the five matches.

Lyon registered an economy rate of below five runs per over in the UAE, and Zampa said the off-spinner's miserly returns can be the perfect foil for his own attacking wrist-spin, as Australia go to England aiming to defend their World Cup title.

"We play two different roles," said Zampa, who has experience of English conditions following a spell at Essex last summer. "[Lyon] is so accurate, a beautiful off-spinner, bowls to his field really well and bowls really tight. That means I can attack from the other end.

"I think it was a few months ago, where we actually spoke to each other and said, 'I reckon we can play a huge role coming up in the World Cup together, so let's do everything we can to make sure we're both there'.

"We've communicated really well over the last few months. We speak a lot in the nets, we speak a lot in the field, just about whatever, anything - spin bowling, field settings, or how the ball's going to come out. Just anything.

"I think it's going to play a huge role for us sometime throughout the World Cup. I don't know if it will be every game, but I definitely see us playing a huge role together."

Zampa has licence from captain Aaron Finch to chase wickets during the middle overs, and he said: "That is something we have spoken about, and Finchy is big on – trying to take wickets. If you are bowling to the middle and lower order in the last 10 overs, it makes it so much easier for the fast bowlers at the death.

"If you are bowling to in-form batsmen like Virat Kohli or Jos Buttler, for example, if they are in, it makes it a lot harder, so wickets in the middle are so important in one-day cricket."

Australia will come up against another leg-spinner, Rashid Khan, in their opening World Cup match against Afghanistan on 1 June, and Zampa will be aiming to pass on some of the youngster's secrets after the pair shared a net session earlier in the year.

"I am so glad I did that because I now know I could never bowl like Rashid," he said. "But having that information now means I can give it to our batters. Rashid Khan is a once-in-a-lifetime bowler."