New Test skipper Tim Paine has been handed the captaincy for the one-day international leg of Australia’s tour of England next month.
Following the suspension of former captain Steve Smith and batsmen David Warner and Cameron Bancroft in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal, Paine has been handed the 50-over reins with opener Aaron Finch to lead the T20 side.
Cricket Australia announced a 15-man squad for the five-match ODI series, which starts at the Oval on June 13, with veteran batsman Shaun Marsh and spinner Nathan Lyon handed recalls in the first selection since Justin Langer replaced Darren Lehmann as head coach.
Cricket Australia national selector Trevor Hohns said that Paine’s appointment as ODI captain for the series did not mean he would be handed the role on a permanent basis.
He said: “We have selected a 15-player squad as we push forward in our preparations for the ICC Cricket World Cup in England in 2019.
Test skipper Tim Paine will be unveiled as Australia’s 25th one-day international captain today, according to various media reports https://t.co/pnxm2uX051 pic.twitter.com/NnIiRLmZI2
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) May 7, 2018
“Obviously, these are the conditions we will face during the tournament so now is a perfect chance to give these players an opportunity to press their case for selection.
“Tim is a strong leader and will captain the side for this series, supported by Aaron.
“A decision on a permanent one-day captain will be made in due course.”
Western Australia all-rounder D’Arcy Short is named in an ODI squad for the first time, while Lyon has not featured in a white-ball international since 2016.
“Nathan is our number one off-spinner and has excelled with the red ball, however he is not new to white-ball cricket and deserves his chance to push for World Cup selection,” Hohns added.
“England potentially have a number of left-handers in their side and we look forward to seeing what he can produce with the white-ball in English conditions.”
Injury has ruled out seamers Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins.
