“Josh has shown he is a leader among the playing group, and we felt it was important to have a representative from the bowling group. He’s calm under pressure, communicates well and leads by example on and off the field.

“Mitch has successfully captained Australia A, Australia U19 and Western Australia. He is an extremely popular member of the team, he has great humility, and given his lineage. he understands and respects the responsibility which comes with representing Australia and Australians.”

Hohns said the decision to appoint two vice-captains took into account the demands of the modern cricket environment and leadership models from successful sporting codes.

“We believe the new leadership model will best support the captain," said Hohns.

"It is a successful model used across various sporting codes around the world, and we see it benefiting the group not just from a tactical perspective but also to help drive the team’s values and standards on and off the field.

“We also feel the new model provides great balance. There is strong and even representation of both the batting and bowling groups, which is important when making decisions which are in the best interest of the team.

“The demands on the modern cricketer were also factors we took into account, including the amount of cricket they play in a season, to what happens in the event a member of the leadership group is missing through injury.”

“We look forward to the first Test against Pakistan, and we’ll watch with great interest as our leaders lead the team into what is going to be a huge summer of cricket.”