MELBOURNE: Cricket Australia has appointed Pat Cummins as the 47th Test captain ahead of Ashes after Tim Paine stepped down following a scandal that emerged two weeks ago. Meanwhile, Steve Smith has been appointed as the vice-captain of the side.
On the appointment of Smith as the vice-captain, the newly appointed leader of the Test side said that he’d carry a ‘collaborative approach’ with his deputy.
“There’s going to be times when I’m out in the middle, and I need to turn to people for advice, for tactics, for the experience. That’s one of the big reasons why I wanted Steve to be vice-captain. How that looks, it could potentially look different to how you’ve seen partnerships work in the past.”
The Ashes will begin from December 8 at the Gabba where Australia will defend the title. The 2019 Ashes series ended in a draw, helping Australia retain the urn.