Australia have unveiled two new vice-captains for the Test side, with allrounder Mitchell Marsh and fast bowler Josh Hazlewood appointed to the positions after a lengthy selection process. Cricket Australia announced on Thursday that dual deputies to captain Tim Paine had been chosen following an application system adopted by new coach Justin Langer from the Australian Football League that featured a player vote.
Hazlewood is missing the upcoming Test series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates (beginning October 7) through injury, meaning Marsh will be the sole vice-captain to Paine for the two-match campaign. It’s to be Australia’s first since the Cape Town ball-tampering scandal that saw Steve Smith and David Warner cop hefty suspensions.
“I’m very proud,” Marsh told cricket.com.au in Dubai shortly after his appointment was confirmed to the Test squad.
“We’ve been through this process over the last couple of months as a team and to have my teammates vote me in and myself into this position, I’m very proud. Hopefully I’ll do the job justice.”
Hazlewood becomes just the third specialist paceman to hold the vice-captaincy after Rodney Hogg and Jeff Thomson both held the role briefly during the 1970s and ‘80s respectively, while no frontline quick has captained Australia in a Test since Ray Lindwall’s one-off match at the helm in 1956.
