Australian cricket fans were taken by surprise when Josh Hazlewood was announced as the stand-in skipper for the Aussies’ second ODI against England.
Hazlewood became the 28th Australian to captain the ODI side as regular skipper Pat Cummins was rested.
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Cummins was not the only key Aussie rested, as Cameron Green also gets a breather and was replaced by Mitchell Marsh.
There was also a change in the England squad, with regular captain Jos Buttler missing out and Moeen Ali taking his place as the team’s leader for the clash.
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Hazlewood won the toss and elected to send his side in to bat.
The decision to hand the leadership duties to Hazlewood raised some eyebrows considering several other players in the team have had captaincy roles in the past.
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Most would have expected Steve Smith, the Test vice-captain, to have been given the stand-in duties.
Or perhaps even Alex Carey who stood in as skipper for an injured Aaron Finch in July 2021 for an ODI match against the West Indies.
The decision to rest Cummins despite him being the ODI skipper may have been something the fast bowler hinted at before the next captain was announced in the wake of Finch’s retirement from the format.
“Things change – there might be times where the captain might not necessarily play every game and someone else steps in,” Cummins told reporters at the SCG in September.
“There’s a lot to think through, for whoever it is.
“I love being Test captain – hopefully I’m there at the ODI World Cup as a player, firstly.
“If it comes up and it works, it would obviously be a huge privilege, but if not, it’s totally fine.”
