Adam Zampa Signs with Hobart Hurricanes for BBL16
Adam Zampa will walk into yet another Big Bash dressing room this summer, but this time in purple.
The veteran Australian leg-spinner has signed a two-year deal with the Hobart Hurricanes for BBL16, his fifth different franchise in a nomadic Big Bash career that now stretches across almost the entire history of the competition.
Zampa rolls the dice again
After three seasons with the Melbourne Renegades, Zampa is on the move once more, with SEN’s Tom Morris reporting the switch to Hobart ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.
The decision comes in the same off-season that Zampa left his home state of New South Wales to join Queensland for domestic cricket, a move that had strongly linked him with the Brisbane Heat. Instead, it is the Hurricanes who have landed one of the most decorated white-ball bowlers in the country.
Hobart are building from a position of strength, not desperation. They finished third in BBL15, a solid follow-up to their breakthrough maiden title the season before. Adding a World Cup-winning spinner to that core signals clear intent: this is not a side content with one championship banner.
For Zampa, the Big Bash remains the one glaring gap on an otherwise glittering T20 résumé. He played key roles in Australia’s T20 World Cup triumph in 2021 and the ODI World Cup win in 2023, yet across 14 of the 15 BBL seasons to date, a domestic title has eluded him.
He has done the rounds trying to find it.
The 34-year-old started at Sydney Thunder before a move to the Adelaide Strikers in BBL03. From there he became a fixture at the Melbourne Stars, spending eight seasons in green and suffering three agonising final defeats in 2015/16, 2018/19 and 2019/20. Then came the surprise jump across town to the Renegades.
Now, Hobart.
The timing could hardly be better for both player and club. Australia’s schedule leaves Zampa free for the entire BBL window, with no limited-overs internationals between December 2026 and February 2027. The national focus in that period rests on four home Tests against New Zealand and a five-Test tour of India, clearing the way for Zampa to be available from ball one to the final over of the campaign.
For a Hurricanes side eyeing a sustained era near the top of the table, that kind of continuity in their attack is gold.
Perth dip back into England’s spin well
On the other side of the country, the Perth Scorchers have quietly made a move that fits perfectly with their long-running recruitment blueprint.
Hours after Adelaide Strikers unveiled Ben Stokes as their marquee English signing, the Scorchers confirmed a deal for England leg-spinner Calvin Harrison, adding another name to their long list of overseas contributors.
Harrison, 28, might not bring the superstar aura of Stokes, but his numbers demand attention. Born in South Africa and raised in New Zealand before joining Somerset’s Academy as a teenager, he has carved out a reputation as one of England’s most effective T20 spinners.
Across 99 T20 matches he has taken 97 wickets at 22.28, a record underpinned by his recent form in The Hundred, where he claimed 10 wickets at 19.7 this year. Those are the sort of figures that fit seamlessly into Perth’s ruthless, efficiency-first model.
He joins a formidable roll call of Englishmen who have worn Scorchers orange: 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 played their part in building a six-title powerhouse.
For Harrison, this stint represents a significant step. It will be his first professional appearance outside England, a chance to test his craft on Australian pitches in a league that has long been a proving ground for international spinners.
For Perth, it is another calculated addition to a winning machine that rarely stands still.
Zampa chasing a first Big Bash crown in new colours. Harrison stepping into the glare of the WACA and Optus Stadium for the first time. The league’s old hands keep moving, and the next wave keeps coming.
