Hazlewood: I would love vice-captaincy

Josh Hazlewood says he would "love to" take on the Test vice-captaincy as Australia looks to rebuild its leadership and reputation with cricket supporters.

Hazlewood has emerged as a leading candidate for the role to be Tim Paine's deputy, alongside allrounder Mitch Marsh, the Western Australia state captain who will lead Australia A in red-ball matches in India next month.

With former leadership duo Steve Smith and David Warner serving suspensions, Australia's front-line bowling attack of Hazlewood, Mitch Starc and spinner Nathan Lyon are among the most senior players in the side.

Australia's next Test assignment is two matches against Pakistan in the UAE in October, with a deputy for Paine not expected to be named until the squad is announced.

"I would love to do it. It's a great opportunity to get one of the bowlers in there, get our point of view of what's happening out on the field and so on," Hazlewood said in a video published by the Australian Cricketers' Association, the players' union.

"It would be exciting to get the role. It brings the best out in players, as we saw with Smithy his batting went to another level when he became captain.

"We've got that senior group of four or five players there who've played a lot of cricket now. Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc, myself and Tim Paine. I think it'll be fine whoever gets the job."

Hazlewood has thrown his hat in the ring after receiving the backing from fellow fast bowler Pat Cummins, who declared him "a really good thinker about the game".

"Sometimes (fast bowlers are) pretty cooked (after bowling) and we just watch the game and start to get our heads around having to bat or recovering from bowling," Cummins told cricket.com.au recently.

"But he's straight there watching, and he has some really good ideas about how to approach an innings.

"He's a really good thinker, but at the same time he's really chilled out and relaxed and really professional in everything he does.

"(As a bowler) you've got to know your own game, but you've got to know what batsmen are going to do as well. Whether he's got a title next to his name or not, as a leader, that's what he brings.

"He can speak about other batsmen and think like a batsman, even if it's through bowling to them rather than being a batsman himself."

Hazlewood, a 28-year-old who has played 40 Tests since his debut against India at Brisbane in 2014, was flattered to have the support of fellow players.

''It's good to hear it from players, some of your peers," the bowler from Bendemeer in NSW's New England region said.

"I guess I have been around the team for quite a while now, played 40 or so Test matches." Hazlewood said.

"It's quite a young group once you take those senior guys out. Being a bowler, it would be good to have one of us in the captaincy."

Having a fast bowler in a leadership position would be a significant deviation for Australian cricket; of Australia's 46 Test captains, Ray Lindwall is the only frontline fast bowler to hold the role, his one and only Test in charge coming in India in 1956 when regular skipper Ian Johnson was injured.

And there's been only been two quicks to hold the role of vice-captaincy, and both instances came about in unusual circumstances; Jeff Thomson was Bob Simpson's deputy on the 1978 Caribbean tour in a side ravaged by the World Series Cricket split, while Rodney Hogg was thrust into the role of Allan Border's vice-captain after Kim Hughes sensationally resigned as skipper partway through the 1984-85 series against the Windies. Hogg played just two Tests as vice-captain before missing the series finale through injury, with batsman Andrew Hilditch taking over as Border's deputy.

The Australia A squad assemble in Brisbane at the Bupa National Cricket Centre for a training camp next week ahead of the one-day quadrangular series that starts on August 17.