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However, the 33-year-old World Cup champion, Australia\u2019s greatest white-ball spinner since Shane Warne, was not named in New South Wales\u2019 13-player squad for the One-Day Cup final, with fellow leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha retaining his spot.<\/p>\n
Zampa and Sangha have previously featured in the same Blues starting XI, including last September\u2019s one-day contest against the Tigers in Sydney, but two leg-spinners weren\u2019t need for in the upcoming final considering the pace-friendly conditions.<\/p>\n
Zampa, who lives in Byron Bay and rarely trains with the Blues, was available and eager to play Wednesday\u2019s final, but didn\u2019t want his call-up to come at the expense of Sangha. After consulting Cricket NSW Chief Performance Officer Greg Mail, Zampa made the decision to step aside to accommodate Sangha\u2019s selection.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs (Zampa) always is when he is available for us, he\u2019s very cognisant on the impact on Tanveer,\u201d Mail told cricket.com.au<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was keen to play but was pretty clear he didn\u2019t want it to be at Tanveer\u2019s expense. That\u2019s a position we were aligned with as well.<\/p>\n \u201cIn domestic cricket we have a dual mandate of trying to develop players for Australia, and winning. With Tanveer being the leading wicket-taker coming into the final, we all thought the right thing to do was to make sure he played to continue to try to develop him to be the next long-term spinner for Australia.<\/p>\n \u201cWith the final being at Bellerive Oval under lights, we thought it wasn\u2019t a two leg-spinner game \u2013 we\u2019ve previously played them both together \u2013 so we agreed \u2018Zamps\u2019 wouldn\u2019t play.<\/p>\n \u201cI said to him that I think he\u2019s taken a very unselfish approach to this, and one that should be commended.\u201d<\/p>\n Sangha, considered to be Zampa\u2019s long-term successor in Australia\u2019s white-ball teams, is the leading wicket-taker of this season\u2019s One-Day Cup with 18 scalps at 18.05. The 24-year-old has played 11 matches for Australia since making his national debut in 2023.<\/p>\n In December 2024, Cricket NSW came under heavy scrutiny<\/a> after Zampa was selected for a Sheffield Shield match at Sangha\u2019s expense, a decision that drew the ire of state selector Stuart Clark and former Australian captain Mark Taylor.<\/p>\n Elsewhere, New South Wales captain Jack Edwards will miss the One-Day Cup final due to a hamstring injury, with veteran batter Kurtis Patterson set to lead the Blues in his absence. Australian superstars Steve Smith, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc were not considered for selection. <\/p>\n The One-Day Cup final looms as the final opportunity for coach Greg Shipperd to win a trophy before the conclusion of his tenure as Blues coach.<\/p>\n In January, Cricket NSW confirmed the 69-year-old would wrap up his stint as NSW and Sydney Sixers coach at the end of the season despite being contracted through to 2026\/27.<\/p>\n Following last week\u2019s loss to South Australia in Adelaide, New South Wales can\u2019t qualify for the Sheffield Shield final, leaving the One-Day Cup as the team\u2019s only chance at winning silverware this season.<\/p>\n \u201cWe just want to send him off on a high,\u201d wicketkeeper Josh Philippe said of Shipperd, speaking to ESPNcricinfo<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cSo it\u2019s great to make this one-day final. He was disappointed at the decision (over his jobs), but he loves cricket, he loves the group and he wants to win titles so we\u2019re trying to do that as best as we can for him.\u201d<\/p>\n