Australia have made a surprise move to name Mitch Marsh and Josh Hazlewood as the joint vice captains for Test duties. Following David Warner’s cheating scandal, it was announced that he would never be allowed to hold a leadership post again.
Marsh had been favourite for sole vice-captain role
Many people thought that Mitch Marsh would be the natural choice to take on the vice-captaincy but Australia have decided to restructure the set-up and appointed Hazlewood alongside him. The chairman of selectors said of the appointments:
“We believe the new leadership model will best support the captain. It is a successful model used across various sporting codes around the world. We see it benefiting the group. Not just from a tactical perspective but also to help drive the team’s values and standards on and off the field.”
Hazlewood is out injured for Pakistan Test
The decision was made as a result of player votes and formal interviews, showing how determined the CA are to restore Australia’s reputation after the ball-tampering scandal. The new model will have to wait for Hazelwood to return from injury, which is likely to be for the first match against India on 21 November.
Marsh shows his pride at selection
Marsh described how proud he is to take on the honour of being vice-captain for his country and promised the pair would work hard to support their captain: “Josh and I will do everything we can to make Tim Paine’s life easier and that’s how I see the vice captaincy role.”
A new era for Australian cricket
It is the start of a whole new era for Australian cricket as they embark on the challenge to rise from the negative press and shame of the cheating incident. By selecting their vice-captains based on morals and values, the CA have made big steps to rebuilding this team – now we will see what this means in terms of results when the Test starts.
