Australia Test skipper Pat Cummins appointed ODI captain

MELBOURNE: Australia Test skipper and pace spearhead Pat Cummins has been entrusted the task of leading the One-day International (ODI) side as well following the retirement of Aaron Finch.

Cricket Australia (CA) on Tuesday endorsed the 29-year-old Cummins, who guided Australia to a 4-0 Ashes triumph earlier this year, to become the country's 27th ODI captain.

Ben Oliver, CA's EGM of High Performance and National Teams, said, "We are very fortunate to have a number of high-quality leaders and senior players across all formats. The (CA) Board and selectors agree Pat (Cummins) is the ideal choice to lead the ODI team through the next period including the 2023 World Cup (in India)."

CA's chairman of selectors George Bailey said, "Pat has done an excellent job since taking on the captaincy of the Test side and we look forward to him leading the one-day team to the 2023 World Cup in India."

Cummins, who also led the Test side to a 1-0 triumph on the historic Pakistan tour following the Ashes triumph, said, "I have thoroughly enjoyed playing under Finchy (Aaron Finch) and have learnt an enormous amount from his leadership. They are significant shoes to fill although we are extremely fortunate to have a one-day squad with a huge amount of experience."

Finch will continue to be Australia's T20I skipper during the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup at home, where he would be aiming to guide his side to retain the trophy.

Batting stalwart David Warner was not considered for the ODI captaincy role due to his lifetime leadership ban following the 2018 'sandpaper-gate' scandal during the Cape Town Test against South Africa.

However, indications are the CA Board is considering a change to its code of conduct to bring Warner back into leadership roles. IANS

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