Adam Zampa claims he is a better red-ball bowler now than at any point in his career despite playing just three first-class matches this decade.
Zampa ramped up his push for selection in Australia's tour of Sri Lanka this week, taking four wickets in NSW's Sheffield Shield loss to Tasmania.
White-ball commitments have often made Zampa unavailable for first-class matches, as is the case with Glenn Maxwell in Victoria.
The legspinner's first Shield game since February 2023 was met with some criticism, with Ed Cowan and Mark Taylor questioning why he was picked ahead of Tanveer Sangha.
But it is believed to have come with Zampa still in Australia's considerations for the Sri Lanka tour, which looms as one of his last chances for a Test debut.
"It’s something I’d like to do and challenge myself at. If I got to end my career and it didn’t pan out that way then I’d be okay with it," Zampa said.
"I might look back one day and feel like maybe I didn’t give it a 100 per cent crack.
"I feel like playing these games and putting my hand up for the Sri Lanka tour and being keen for that is fine.
"It’s important if I am on that tour that I have a bit of mileage in my legs and it’s not a huge shock to the system because Sunday was."
It is unclear whether Zampa will be picked to play in the Blues' next game, another match at the SCG against Western Australia early next month.
The 32-year-old's belief he has not given himself a "100 per cent crack" at selection stems from the fact the majority of his red-ball cricket came early in his career.
His overall first-class record is 115 wickets at an average of 46.56, compared to 10 scalps at 28.7 in his three games this decade.
"I was eager 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 said.
"I bowled a lot more bad balls than I do know. I wasn’t confident with my own reading of the game where as now I feel like I can read guys a lot better and have less mental fog.
"It's being able to have a bit more resilience on day-one wickets when you’re trying to hold up an end."
Zampa is also aware his Shield record is potentially irrelevant for selection, given the difference in wickets between Australia and the subcontinent.
For him it is more about miles in the legs.
But he does believe he can add value in Sri Lanka, if Australia opt for the variety of leg spin alongside the off spin of Nathan Lyon and potential left-arm finger spin of Matt Kuhnemann.
"If I do play over there it’s potentially as a third spinner, maybe one quick and you play one of each (type of spin)," Zampa said.
"I think you’ll have a (left-arm) finger spinner turning it away from the bat because that tends to have more success in the subcontinent."
