A dearth of red-ball cricket between now and next month's selection deadline has prompted Zampa to get creative as he chases a baggy green.

"It's there, it's in the mind," Zampa told reporters on Wednesday. "I played that Shield game for a reason and it was really nice to play a little bit of red-ball cricket and get the workloads up. I was just curious as to how it would feel and how it would go.

"My game's progressed, particularly in the last three years, to be valuable to the red-ball team. I know my record doesn't really speak for itself - it definitely doesn't - but I feel like I've improved could potentially suit those conditions."

"I'll never be Nathan Lyon, who is the No.1 spinner in the Australian team wherever you are in the world. I know that," Zampa said. "But in a series and a squad where you're going to have multiple spinners and you're going to need options, then I know that I'd be a chance.

"Hence why I'm keen to get on that tour if it happens, but it won't be like that forever. There's not subcontinent tours every year, they're every few years, so I know that my chances are limited."

Zampa will lead the Stars in his eighth season with the franchise after Maxwell was ruled out with a broken leg.

"It's going to be about creating an environment where people don't have fear," Zampa said.

The Stars begin their hunt for a long-awaited BBL title against Sydney Thunder in Canberra on Tuesday.