Adam Zampa, without doubt. Three ODIs begin in Perth on 13 November, and the hosts will do without their rested pace trio of Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood. That hands the senior role to a 34-year-old leg-spinner. England reply with Adil Rashid, who is older, more decorated in career wickets and noticeably more expensive in these conditions. Read the numbers closely, and the spin battle looks like the hinge of this contest, with the home man owning the edge.
Three day-night fixtures make up the schedule: Perth hosts on 13 November, Adelaide on the 15th and Hobart on the 18th. Australia are thin on experience, since Nathan Ellis is also sidelined by a side strain, and as many as eight players could debut at home across the three games. Zampa stands out as the one veteran bowler in the group. Their bowling depth therefore rests on a handful of settled names and plenty of unknowns.
The visitors are patchy as well. A knee injury ended Jacob Bethell’s tour on 11 November, and Josh Tongue is unavailable too, which means Zampa will not face Bethell at all. Harry Brook captains a lineup that leans on Joe Root and Ben Duckett, while Rashid works alone as the only leg-spin option.
Zampa’s 17 ODIs against England have yielded 36 wickets, at 23.77 and 5.49 an over. Those figures beat his overall ones, which read 207 wickets from 127 matches at 29.66 with 5.57 an over. Across 34 home ODIs, he has 57 wickets, averaging 27.70 with an economy of 5.40.
The peak came in England in 2020, where he collected 10 wickets at 14.2 and went for just 4.7 an over. Nobody from Australia’s spin ranks had reached 10 in a three-game bilateral ODI series until then. That was six years ago, and today he carries the middle overs without fresh quicks sharing the load. Rhythm is harder to repeat when the supporting cast is unfamiliar.
Compare the two on bulk and Rashid wins, with 165 ODIs and 244 wickets against 127 and 207. Compare them on quality and Zampa leads, with a better average and a lower economy overall. At home the gap widens: he has taken 44 more wickets on Australian soil, from 34 games against two tours for Rashid. Wickets in Australia are the figure that matters most for this trip.
Career totals favour the older man, but a three-match series rewards present form in local conditions. A bowler who has done it repeatedly here gains confidence that visitors with fewer outings cannot copy. The table backs Zampa.
Rashid has just two Australian tours to his name. Season-by-season figures show a haul of 10 wickets in 2017-18 at 29.90, then a 3/57 return in 2022, a total of 13 wickets at 27.38 with an economy of 5.93 on my reckoning. That costs roughly half a run per over more than Zampa concedes in front of his own crowd. The sample is small, but the cost per over is hard to ignore.
Two tours amount to a thin sample. Even so, Australian surfaces show no sign of suiting him more than English ones. At 38, he also lacks a fellow leg-spinner to share middle-over duties. England will need other sources of control if their spinner struggles early.
The vote goes to Zampa. His returns against England are stronger, his home numbers beat Rashid’s, and with the quicks resting, Marsh must rely on him through the middle stage of each innings. That role suits a bowler who already has the best home record of the pair.
Rashid owns the bigger career tally, but his economy in Australia, 5.93, is worse than the 5.65 he carries overall, a hint that batters go after him here. Should Zampa keep his home economy close to 5.40, the Zampa vs Rashid Australia-England ODI series swings his way. Anything more than that from Rashid would be a surprise given his history here.
Do you back Zampa’s home form or Rashid’s bigger career tally? Share your pick in the comments.
Who is the best spinner in this England tour of Australia?
Adam Zampa has the edge on his record against England and at home. Adil Rashid has more career ODI wickets, 244 to 207, but the gap in Australian conditions favours Zampa.
How many ODI wickets has Adam Zampa taken against England?
Across 17 ODIs versus England, Zampa has claimed 36 wickets. He averages 23.77 in those matches while conceding 5.49 an over, both better than his career figures.
How many ODI wickets does Adil Rashid have?
Rashid has 244 ODI wickets from 165 matches. He averages 31.79 with an economy of 5.65 coming into this series, so his career returns are solid but not special.
Who is in the Australia squad for the England ODIs?
Mitchell Marsh captains Australia’s 14-man ODI squad. It includes Travis Head, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Alex Carey and Adam Zampa, alongside several possible debutants in the group.
When do the England ODIs in Australia take place?
The three day-night games run from 13 to 18 November. Perth hosts the first on 13 November, Adelaide the second on 15 November, and Hobart the third on 18 November, each starting at 2:30 pm AEDT.
Disclaimer: This blog post reflects the author’s personal insights and analysis. Readers are encouraged to consider the perspectives shared and draw their own conclusions.
