This content has been archived. It may no longer be relevant

SYDNEY, Australia – Against England in the second One-Day International, Josh Hazlewood was given the opportunity, adding his name to the list of previous Australian leaders.

Over the coming year, Australia will try to increase the number of individuals who can lead their team in one-day internationals, and it’s likely that a variety of players will fill in for Pat Cummins when necessary.

When Cummins took a break for the second game against England in Sydney after captaining the first game in the format two days prior in Adelaide, Josh Hazlewood, who had never led in a professional game but had served as an ODI vice-captain, assumed the position.

At the toss, Hazlewood remarked, “I’m filling in [for] this game, and hopefully it’s a pleasant and seamless transition.” With so much cricket to play in the near future, Pat was glad to take a break. It was only a simple “you’ll captain the next game,” as there is a larger leadership group.

Prior to the 2019 ODI World Cup, Hazlewood will occasionally fill in for Cummins, but that does not imply that he will always do so. Despite being elected captain last month, Cummins is anticipated to continue to be rotated in the one-day side even if he has opted out of the 2023 IPL to focus on being fresh for international duty.

However, the selection of Hazlewood as a replacement put him ahead of other names who had recently captained Australia. Last year, on the West Indies trip, Alex Carey filled in for an injured Aaron Finch and helped the team to a 2 to 1 series victory. Similarly, during the recent Ashes at home, Steven Smith filled in for Cummins when he was forced to miss the Adelaide Test owing to a close incident with a Covid player.

George Bailey, the selection chair, had remarked when Cummins was named ODI captain, “I don’t anticipate Pat to play every one-day game in the lead up to the World Cup.” I anticipate that two or three men might take the reins at some point because the group has several players who can step up to the plate if necessary.

“This idea of a captain taking charge and having all-encompassing leadership is something we are moving away from. It frequently involves a lot of collaboration.

If David Warner’s leadership restriction is lifted in the future, he might potentially be a choice; a decision on this is anticipated soon. Another candidate might be Travis Head, the captain of the Adelaide Strikers and South Australia.

The captaincy of Australia in Twenty20 matches is still uncertain, though. Finch has stated that he won’t decide on his future until after the BBL, but it is unlikely that he will play through the West Indies and USA’s hosting of the 2024 World Cup.