Ahmedabad: Adam Zampa on Sunday equalled the legendary Muttiah Muralitharan’s record of most wickets by a spinner in a single edition of the World Cup against India in the final of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023, at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Zampa finished his campaign with 23 wickets from 11 matches, equalling the record of Muralitharan, who picked up 23 wickets from 10 matches in 2007.
Zampa finished with figures of 10-0-44-1. Brad Hogg (2007) and Shahid Afridi (2011) hold the second spot on the list with 21 wickets each.
Meanwhile, Zampa also became the first overseas bowler to pick up 50 wickets in ODIs on Indian soil. The leggie took 27 matches to reach the landmark. The leg-spinner faced a challenging moment in the tournament, going wicketless in Australia’s defeat to India in Chennai.
However, his resilience came to the forefront, and in subsequent games, Zampa scripted a sensational turnaround. Against Sri Lanka, after initially struggling with figures of 1-145, from 21 overs, he staged a remarkable comeback, clinching 20 wickets at an impressive average of 9.66 from 69 overs.
The turning point came in a match against Sri Lanka, where Zampa’s four-wicket haul showcased his ability to influence games. This marked the beginning of a streak where he consistently took three wickets or more in the following four World Cup games, setting a historic record as the first man in ODI World Cup history to achieve this feat.
Zampa is the second leading wicket-taker of the ongoing ODI World Cup with 23 wickets.
(IANS)
