Australian cricket star Adam Zampa has chosen the Hobart Hurricanes over rival Big Bash League offers, saying the club’s playing group was the deciding factor behind his move to Tasmania.
The 34-year-old leg-spinner has represented Australia more than 200 times across ODI and T20I cricket.
He said he had conversations with multiple BBL clubs before deciding Hobart was the best fit.
“Out of the choices that I had, I guess I reflected on a bit what I want to get out of my cricket,” he said.
Zampa said his existing relationships with Hurricanes players, including captain Nathan Ellis, Riley Meredith and Ben McDermott, helped make the decision easier.
“I think it’s just the best fit for me in terms of the people,” he said.
“I feel like I can seamlessly go into a team without feeling like I’m out of place.”
The signing also gives the Hurricanes a frontline spinner to complement their pace-heavy bowling attack, an area Zampa believes the club has lacked in recent seasons.
He suggested Hobart could also look overseas to strengthen its top-order batting.
Zampa is expected to be available for the full BBL season, with a lighter white-ball international schedule giving him more time at home between tours.
He plans to arrive in Tasmania four or five days before the Hurricanes’ campaign begins in Hobart.
The move also comes with a personal connection to the state for Zampa, who said Tasmania had long been one of his favourite places to visit.
“I’ve got an affection towards Tasmania, a holiday there sometimes as well, so that made the choice a little bit easier, but basically it was down to the people around me,” he said.
“One of my favourite places in the world is Bicheno,” he said.
Zampa was also candid about the challenges facing the BBL, saying the competition’s current system still favours overseas players over Australian talent.
“I think it’s just a slightly broken system that we’ll probably need fixing in the future for everyone to get it right,” he said.
He welcomed high-profile signings such as Ben Stokes joining Adelaide, but said greater private investment would be needed to allow every BBL team to attract multiple top-tier internationals alongside Australia’s best players.
