“At this stage, probably yes,” Hazlewood said if the move now made him first choice behind Cummins. “It’s hard to say, I’m a fast bowler, and I’ll probably miss games here and there.
“We obviously have. [Steven] Smith, who was vice-captain tonight, and further down the chain, are another pair in the leadership group. So there are a lot of options and I feel there are a lot of senior players in the middle as well who I can talk to and get their feedback from.”
On the eve of the toss, Hazlewood spoke of a “broad leadership group”, with Cummins himself saying that when he took on the job, he believed that next year’s World Cup in India would A wide range of captains can operate in ODIs under the leadership of
Hazlewood said after the match that Test cricket is a different story. “There’s a captain and that’s his team, whereas in ODIs and T20s you often get a different-looking group and a different-looking senior group. I think it’s a good model, and I think It’s working so far.”
Hazlewood admitted it took a while to settle into the field – conceding 21 runs in his first two overs – and reckoned he would have to go back to school cricket to captain a team for the last time.
“It was very exciting at first and a little nerve-wracking,” he said. “But once we got on the field it was good fun. I definitely enjoyed it, and when the partnership was going it was a bit of a challenge and then we got two wickets and that set up the game.
“I was initially thinking about everyone’s bowling rather than my bowling but got into a groove there. And then everything looked great. But you leave everything to the bowlers. They know what they are doing. Want a delivery. To bowl and they own their field and they own their results. So there was no chance that I had to step in or argue at all, so it was a smooth ride. “
“I don’t expect Pat to play every one-dayer until the World Cup,” selection chair George Bailey said when Cummins was announced as ODI captain. “We have a number of players within the group who can take the lead if needed. So I expect we could see two or three guys take the lead at some stage.
“We’re getting away from the notion that having a captain and their leadership is all-encompassing. Sometimes it’s a lot of collaboration.”
However, the future of Australia’s T20I captaincy is up in the air. Finch has said he will not make a decision on his career until after the BBL, but is not expected to continue until the 2024 World Cup in the West Indies and the US.
