Australian bowler Adam Zampa has been arrested at an embarrassing and unsanitary time during AustraliaThe first T20 match against New Zealand.
During the national anthem, while the other players stood tall, the Australian player became a little uneasy.
So, with the broadcast camera focused directly on him, he decided to touch and rub his nether regions before bringing his hands to his face and taking a good sniff.
The moment did not go unnoticed by some eagle-eyed cricket watchers, who cropped the video and posted it online.
The camera was focused on Zampa when he decided to give his landing gear some attention while the national anthem played.
Onlookers freaked out when he put his hands up to his face to smell it a little.
‘Scratch and sniff, buddy?’ asked a follower.
“One inhalation through each nostril,” noted another.
“That’s just embarrassing,” another cricket fan posted.
Cricket fans will be hoping Zampa limits his adjustments to the ball as the Australians face a daunting match at Eden Park.
Mitch Marsh’s Twenty20 team have a 1-0 lead in the Chappell-Hadlee series after Wednesday night’s last-gasp victory and only need to win once in New Zealand to clinch the series.
Their next match starts on Friday at 5pm AEDT and the next clash will be played on Saturday.
Like the series opener in Wellington, when Australia outscored the Black Caps 3-215 in the last ball, the clashes in Auckland are expected to be a run-fest.
Captain Mitchell Marsh’s big knock helped take the Australians home in the first T20.
The Australian men’s T20 team’s last visit to Eden Park came in 2018, when a team captained by David Warner broke the world scoring record in the second innings, chasing New Zealand’s 6-243 with seven balls remaining.
Australia coach Andrew McDonald said short boundaries in the field and behind the wicketkeeper at Eden Park would require discipline from the bowlers.
“We will try to get them to hit the long limits most of the time,” he said.
‘Stand up straight and make them hit squarely. We’ll keep it that simple.’
Steve Smith is likely to make the Australian XI, and Matthew Wade is also in contention after delaying his arrival in New Zealand to be present for the birth of his son.
There is also a change in Kiwi availability, with Tim Southee making way for fellow fast Trent Boult, who comes straight from playing in the International League T20 in the United Arab Emirates.
Boult was the pick of the quicks in the tournament final, winning 2-20 as his MI Emirates defeated the Dubai Capitals.
“He is a world leader in some areas, particularly the new ball. “He represents a threat, he swings it, he creates headaches for senior management,” McDonald said.
“I’m sure the boys will be well prepared for it.”
Zampa was fooled all over the park by the Black Caps during the first match of the three-match series.
The Aussies will back their bowling roulette at the death at Auckland’s Eden Park.
Australia accelerated in Wellington after Adam Zampa and Glenn Maxwell were bowled out at the Sky Stadium, with Marsh removing them both after five overs combined and opting for pace for the final five overs.
Marsh insisted he would not hesitate to bowl the ball to Zampa for the death overs at Eden Park.
‘We always try to retain Zampa because of one of the deaths. [bowlers] but we couldn’t make that progress [in Wellington],’ he said.
‘We always support Zamps towards the back. “It’s been amazing for us for a long period of time.”
After four consecutive games in which they have conceded more than 200 runs, concerns that the Australian attack is too leaky may be allayed with a better effort in the remaining matches.
“We don’t want to chase 216 too often,” Marsh said.
“But on these grounds here (on the big and small grounds) we have to get used to defending or chasing 200.”
TEAM AUSTRALIA
Mitch Marsh (captain), Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa.
TEAM NEW ZEALAND
Mitchell Santner (captain), Finn Allen, Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Adam Milne, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears, Ish Sodhi, Will Young.