Adam Zampa Joins Hobart Hurricanes for BBL16
Adam Zampa is on the move again. A fifth Big Bash club, another set of colours, and one more crack at the title that keeps slipping through his fingers.
Zampa rolls the dice with Hurricanes
The 34-year-old leg-spinner will join the Hobart Hurricanes for BBL16 on a two-year deal, as reported by SEN’s Tom Morris, ending his three-season stint with the Melbourne Renegades and adding yet another chapter to one of the league’s most nomadic careers.
He started at Sydney Thunder. Switched to Adelaide Strikers for BBL03. Became a mainstay at Melbourne Stars for eight seasons, playing in three losing finals (2015/16, 2018/19, 2019/20). Then stunned many with a crosstown jump to the Renegades.
Now, it’s Hobart.
For the Hurricanes, this is a move that underlines intent. They finished third in BBL15, backing up their maiden title defence the season before, and are clearly not content to drift after their breakthrough. They’re recruiting a bowler who has sat at the heart of Australia’s white-ball success – a T20 World Cup winner in 2021 and an ODI World Cup winner in 2023 – yet has never lifted a Big Bash trophy despite featuring in 14 of the 15 seasons.
That statistic will sting Zampa. Hobart are betting it can drive him.
The timing suits both sides. With Australia locked into four home Tests against New Zealand and a five-Test tour of India between December 2026 and February 2027, there are no limited-overs internationals on the calendar. Zampa is set to be available for the entire BBL campaign, a luxury few franchises enjoy with frontline international spinners.
There is an intriguing wrinkle. Zampa has just left his home state of New South Wales to sign with Queensland for the domestic summer and had been closely linked to the Brisbane Heat. Instead of heading to the Gabba, he’ll be wheeling away at Bellerive, trying to turn a strong Hurricanes list into a repeat contender.
For a player who has worn so many shirts, this might be his last big Big Bash move. The question now is simple: can Hobart be the side that finally delivers him a BBL title?
Perth tap into England’s spin surge
On the other side of the country, Perth Scorchers have quietly added yet another English name to their long roll of overseas contributors.
Calvin Harrison, England leg-spinner and one of the country’s rising T20 specialists, has signed on with the six-time champions, becoming the second Englishman this summer to head to the Big Bash after Ben Stokes’ marquee deal with Adelaide Strikers.
Stokes grabbed the headlines. Harrison may end up grabbing the middle overs.
The 28-year-old’s route to Perth has been anything but straightforward. Born in South Africa, raised in New Zealand, he eventually joined Somerset’s Academy as a teenager and has since carved out a reputation as a serious short-form operator. Across 99 T20 matches he has taken 97 wickets at 22.28, with ten wickets at 19.7 in this year’s Hundred underscoring his current form.
Perth know exactly what they’re doing with English recruits. Matt Hurst, Keaton Jennings, Zak Crawley, David Payne, Stephen Eskinazi, Adam Lyth, Tymal Mills, Laurie Evans, Jason Roy, Joe Clarke, Liam Livingstone, Chris Jordan, Tim Bresnan, Ian Bell, David Willey, Michael Carberry and Paul Collingwood have all worn orange. Some were headline acts, others shrewd role players, but the pattern is clear: Scorchers trust English white-ball pedigree.
For Harrison, this will be his first professional appearance outside England. New conditions, new crowds, new expectations. Perth’s attack has long thrived on pace and relentlessness; adding a leg-spinner with his numbers gives them a different kind of threat through the middle.
As Zampa chases an elusive title in Hobart and Harrison prepares for his first taste of Australian summer under the bright lights in Perth, the BBL’s next season is already taking shape – with spin, not just power hitting, at the heart of the story.
