'He was doing things he's never done': Zampa stuns teammates

Prominent among those most surprised by Adam Zampa's match-winning batting feats on Wednesday evening were his South Australia teammates, watching in stunned amazement from their Gabba vantage point.

It wasn't so much that Zampa remained coolly undaunted upon arriving at the wicket, even though the Redbacks required a seemingly fanciful 49 runs from 27 balls with only a couple of fast bowlers left to bat.

More remarkably, it was the manner in which the number nine – whose previous 33 domestic one-day appearances had yielded barely 400 runs at an average just below 20 – took to his task that saw jaws collectively drop.

In the SA team's viewing area, as well as among those tuned into the live-stream around the nation.

As Zampa's close friend, former Premier cricket clubmate and long-time social media sparring partner Kane Richardson revealed, the 27-year-old unfurled a repertoire of outrageous strokes he had never previously attempted.

Even when batting at training, in any form or level of the game.

"I was next in, so I thought with seven overs to go I was going to get a decent hit there at the end," Richardson said in the wake of South Australia's three-wicket win achieved through Zampa's unbeaten 35 from 15 deliveries.

"But it was really nice just to sit back and watch that.

"I don't think anyone could really believe what he was doing because he's never really done that before, even in the nets.

"He's a good batter, but he was just doing things that he's never done.

"It was pretty exciting to watch."

Zampa's ramp-shot over fine leg, from the first ball of the game's last over bowled by Michael Neser, was perhaps the leg- spinner's most audacious.

It saw him step outside off-stump and scoop the famously frugal Bulls paceman beyond the boundary rope with South Australia needing 15 runs from the final six deliveries.

But it was the sight of Zampa taking on giant fast bowler Billy Stanlake - one of the quickest on the Australia domestic scene - in the preceding over, and flat-batting him through extra cover and then over mid-on for six that most stretched Richardson's credulity.

It prompted Richardson to jokingly suggest Zampa might be employed as an allrounder during the upcoming men's Gillette T20 international series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, in which the pair (as well as Stanlake) will take part.

"He's the most confident bloke on earth, so maybe pinch-hit him," Richardson said of Zampa, ahead of the men's season-opening game against Sri Lanka at Adelaide Oval on Sunday.

"Get him up the order and see if he can take down a few quicks."

It wasn't the first time Zampa has held his nerve to deliver a last-gasp win with the bat.

He memorably clubbed a huge six from Yasir Arafat's final over of a KFC Big Bash League game against Perth Scorchers at the WACA in 2014 to get the Adelaide Strikers home with one wicket and two deliveries to spare.

But he's not previously unleashed such a sustained barrage against international-standard bowling with odds so heavily stacked against him and his team.

South Australia's unlikely win against competition leaders Queensland lifted them into third place on the Marsh One-Day Cup ladder, with two rounds of matches to be played before the final on November 26.

Those fixtures will pose a challenge for the Redbacks – against second-placed WA in Adelaide, and reigning domestic one-day champions Victoria at the MCG – but Richardson notes that spirits are high within the SA camp.

And that confidence has only risen on the back of Zampa's player-of-the-match effort on Thursday.

"I think we've always been a good one-day team, but that's probably been swept under the carpet because we've struggled in the Shield," Richardson said.

"But winning brings confidence and momentum, and hopefully into the (Sheffield) Shield as well."

Gillette T20 INTLs v Sri Lanka

Australia squad: Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, David Warner, Adam Zampa

Sri Lanka squad: Lasith Malinga (c), Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis, Danushka Gunathilaka, Avishka Fernando, Niroshan Dickwella, Dasun Shanaka, Shehan Jayasuriya, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Oshada Fernando, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lakshan Sandakan, Nuwan Pradeep, Lahiru Kumara, Isuru Udana, Kasun Rajitha

October 27: First T20I, Adelaide Oval, 2pm (Fox & Kayo)

October 30: Second T20I, Gabba, 6.10pm (Fox & Kayo)

November 1: Third T20I, MCG, 7.10pm (Fox & Kayo)

Gillette T20 INTLs v Pakistan

Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (c), Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Musa Khan, Shadab Khan, Usman Qadir.

November 3: First T20I, SCG, 2.30pm (Fox & Kayo)

November 5: Second T20I, Manuka Oval, 7.10pm (Fox & Kayo)

November 8: Third T20I, Perth Stadium, 4.30pm (Fox & Kayo)