The group round of the T20 World Cup is in its final stage, but the team whose name is not questioned in the final line-up of the Super 8 is Australia (won all four group round matches). One of the special factors that contributed to the team's success is the bowling of Adam Zampa, the best white ball leg spinner in the world at present. Once again, they have forgotten the pain that they could never do anything special as a red ball cricketer and similarly, they never got the fame that the pace trio of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins brought to the success of the Australian team in the last decade.

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Yet the truth is that Zampa has further strengthened his claim to the title of Australia's all-time best white-ball cricketer in the ongoing T20 World Cup – an extraordinary average of just 8, an economy rate of 5.33 and 8 wickets in 3 matches (the most till June 15), including Player of the Match in back-to-back matches. Let's see where the upcoming matches take the contest?

Zampa is often compared to Shane Warne. In the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, Zampa took 23 wickets – only one less than Mohammed Shami (24). This is, however, a better record than any of Shane Warne's World Cup performances. Zampa is currently ranked No. 3 in ODIs and No. 11 in T20s in the ICC Players Rankings. Such a bowler, surprisingly, his first class bowling average is around 47 and he has played only 2 Sheffield Shield matches in the last 4 years. A bowler who came into the Shield with a dream of wearing the Baggy Green and took 10 wickets in his first 3 Shield matches at an average of 24 – he was dropped from the team early but has stuck just as strongly in the white ball cricket team. Australian spinner Nathan Lyon has been a fixture in Tests and Zampa in the white ball team in recent years.

Zampa won his first T20 World Cup in 2021 and now he is aiming to do the same again. Like many other leg-spinners around the world, Adam Zampa was attracted to the art of spin because of his 'hero' Shane Warne – hence the frequent comparisons – both have almost similar actions, both leg-break bowlers and both among the greatest spinners of limited overs cricket, both helped Australia win global titles and succeeded for a long time.

In the 1970s and 1980s, limited overs cricket was dominated by seamers. Spinners were expected to contain runs, not attack. Wrist spinners took a back seat to finger spinners – rarely staying on top and those who remained disappeared after a short time – except for Abdul Qadir. Warne brought a new life to this lost art. Zampa has not played any Test cricket and given his first class record (111 wickets at 46.98) it is unlikely that he will ever play Tests. Incidentally, almost the same happened with Warne in T20Is – he did not play any T20Is but played in T20s until 2013. Zampa is a true master of this format.

Most wickets for Australia in T20Is, most ODI wickets since his ODI debut – these are Zampa's records. Amongst Australian ODI spinners, only Shane Warne and Brad Hogg have taken more wickets than him. Virat Kohli is his favourite wicket in ODIs. No other Australian spinner has even taken 50 wickets in T20Is – Ashton Agar and Glenn Maxwell are on 48 and 40 wickets respectively. The trio were part of Australia's only T20 World Cup title in 2021 and Zampa was the top wicket-taker with 13 wickets at an astonishing average of 12.07 and an economy of less than 6. The same trend continues and Zampa also completed his 100 wickets during the T20 World Cup. That is why most call him the greatest T20 International spinner.