'We're looking at England game as a quarter-final' - Zampa

After two washouts from two matches, Australia have been left with no option but to treat their final Champions Trophy group game against England as if it were a knockout. On Monday, Australia were firmly on track for victory against Bangladesh when rain set in to leave them four overs short of the 20 required to constitute a match, after they were also rained off against New Zealand.

That has left Australia in second position in their group on two points from two matches, and means that whichever team wins the New Zealand-Bangladesh fixture on Friday will be ahead of Australia, irrespective of the England-New Zealand result today. So, Australia must beat England the following day in order to progress to the semi-finals.

"It would be frustrating if the results don't go our way towards the end of the tournament," legspinner Adam Zampa said after the Bangladesh game. "If we do scrape into the finals, then it doesn't really matter. It is what it is at the moment. If we can play well against England and get into the finals, none of what has happened really matters.

"We just spoke about it in the team meeting then. We're looking at it as a quarter-final. Australians in ICC tournaments in the past have thrived on that pressure and hopefully we can do the same."

Playing his first match of the Champions Trophy, Zampa picked up 2 for 13 against Bangladesh but was asked to bowl only four overs, and did not come on until the 35th over, after part-time offspinner Travis Head had already sent down eight overs. Zampa has often been overlooked in Australia's ODI selections recently, despite being their leading wicket-taker in the format last year.

"It probably didn't help with the two left-handers in," Zampa said. "Heady's bowling really well at the moment and the other end was with the wind, so the quicks were coming from that end. Heady is doing a great job. Preferably Smithy doesn't want me to bowl to two left-handers. Luckily we do have Heady and Maxy to bowl those overs.

"I think we've seen with selections in Australia and other places, with the firepower and the depth that we have with the quicks and the allrounders and Heady bowling really well, I only come into consideration when the wickets suit. I think a used wicket like today was somewhere I could play a role."

Having spent some time getting legspinning advice from Shane Warne in Birmingham last week, Zampa is now seeking counsel of a different kind. His unusual hairstyle, which team-mate Glenn Maxwell described as "very shocking", looked a little more respectable in the Bangladesh game.

"It probably wasn't in the best nick for a couple of days but now the missus has arrived and she said I've got to tone it," Zampa said. "As you can see it's a little bit of a different colour than it was a few days ago. It's a little bit different… Happy with it now.

"I reckon I'm the guy the blokes go to for a bit of a mood change. The last couple of hours or so I was trying to keep the boys up and about. Undies on the head a little bit when you're watching the rain. Try and make the boys laugh wherever I can."