Gilchrist picks his Test vice-captain

Boom allrounder Mitchell Marsh is legendary gloveman Adam Gilchrist’s choice to be vice-captain of the Australian men’s cricket team.

Following the dramatic events in Cape Town, Tasmanian Tim Paine was appointed Test captain and later named the temporary leader of the one-day team, with Aaron Finch the ODI vice-captain and T20 skipper, while Alex Carey is the Victorian’s deputy in the shortest format.

That leaves only one leadership position left to fill, and Gilchrist has chosen the younger Marsh brother to take the vacant vice-captain position in the Test side.

"I think a guy like Mitch Marsh could be a really strong appointment as Paine’s deputy," Gilchrist told foxsports.com.au.

"Again, provided he stays fit, I see him playing a big role in being a core or foundation player for that team to be built around. 

"He showed some really promising signs for WA (as captain) in the last Sheffield Shield season. He could mature into a very good leader.

"Nathan Lyon is the more experienced but if I had to appoint someone, I would have Tim and Mitch as the combination."

There is no shortage of state leaders in the Test team that took the field in the fourth Test against South Africa in Johannesburg last month.

Usman Khawaja (Queensland), Peter Handscomb (Victoria) and Marsh (Western Australia) all captain their states.

But spin legend Shane Warne believes Paine, as the team’s wicketkeeper, should be the Test vice-captain and not the main man in charge. 

"I think Tim Paine's a quality person," he told Fox Sports. "He's done well in the short time he's been back.

"I don't think a wicketkeeper should be captain – I think they make terrific vice-captains.

"People say there's no-one else – there's always somebody else. Someone will always come out of the woodwork and say, 'Well give me a chance' and they grow into the role.

"So I think he would be a very good vice-captain.

"Hopefully he does a good job as captain. He speaks well and hopefully he'll instil some good values into the team and play a good brand of cricket, but I think in time you'll find he'll be vice-captain and someone else will elevate themselves to captain."

Gilchrist, who will commentate alongside Warne with Fox Sports this summer, captained his country six times in Test cricket and served as Australia’s long-term deputy under skippers Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting.

And while Gilchrist admits he struggled juggling the demands of captaincy and glovework, he can see Paine handling the job with aplomb. 

"I found keeping and captaining very challenging and I don’t think I could have done it full time," Gilchrist said.

"You just get mentally challenged continually in the role. But I guess it’s the same for any captain. "Your mind is always racing about the team issues and you have to find a way to switch back on to just your job.

"But I expect that Tim Paine will handle the captaincy really well, mostly because of where he is at in his career and life. He’s a little bit more mature than the average rookie.

"His experience this second opportunity he’s been given out of nowhere. He’s only just established himself in the team but now he’s a senior statesman all of a sudden. He’s a well-balanced guy and he will do well.

"I don’t think you should pigeonhole keepers as being unable to captain. MS Dhoni did it brilliantly well for India. There are guys that can do it. But for me personally, it would have been a bit too much for a long period of time."