Hazlewood, Marsh win support as vice-captain

Paceman Josh Hazlewood has been backed to break the mould of fast bowlers and become Australia's next Test vice-captain under new skipper Tim Paine.

Hazlewood's long-time teammate Pat Cummins says the 27-year-old "is a really good thinker about the game" and has the demeanour required to carry out the duties of deputy as Australia look to the next generation of leaders to step up in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal.

Paine is still without a vice-captain less than three months out from his first Test series as full-time skipper and allrounder Mitchell Marsh is considered the front runner for the role.

But Cummins says the no-nonsense Hazlewood should not be underestimated.

"He's really calm, really consistent, open, honest and a really good role model," Cummins told cricket.com.au.

"The way he goes about playing, nothing fazes him.

"As a fast bowler, you can have a lot of days in the dirt where you bowl all day and you've got to wake up and do it all again tomorrow. But he just gets on with it, there's no fuss."

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.

Cummins dismissed any suggestion that Hazlewood doesn't have the tactical acumen to be a good vice-captain, saying he's a regular contributor in strategy discussions, both batting and bowling.

"He's a really good thinker about the game with fielding positions, even when we're off the field," Cummins said.

"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.

"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."

Cummins, who has ruled himself out of contention to be Paine's deputy, also put forward the names of fellow Test bowlers Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon, while acknowledging Test players Marsh, Usman Khawaja and Peter Handscomb all have leadership experience at state level. 

Marsh has put his hat in the ring to be both the new one-day skipper as well as Paine's deputy, and the Western Australian has the support of Victoria's skipper Handscomb, who also backed Lyon as a contender.

"They've obviously lined up Mitch Marsh for that role," Handscomb told cricket.com.au. "If he gets it, he'll do a great job at that.

"I quite like Nathan Lyon as well as a leader of the team. You know he's going to be there playing every Test (and) he's got the experience. He's still got that little bit of an old-school mentality that I feel we still need to really drive the team and really help in those tough situations in getting everyone up and going.

"There's three, four or five guys who could step in and do a really good job."

The Test vice-captain is expected to be announced in September along with the rest of Australia's squad to face Pakistan on their two-Test tour of the UAE.

- with Louis Cameron