Michael Clarke named as captain of Australian Twenty20 side

Michael Clarke will captain the Australian side for next week's Twenty20 match against New Zealand, in an apparent move to groom the batsman as a future Test captain. The 26-year-old Clarke is the third youngest player in the squad and was picked ahead of current vice-captain Adam Gilchrist.

“Adam is of the view obviously that he would like to captain his country, but was also really pleased with the initiative,” said chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch. “He (Clarke) certainly has all the credentials. He's very new to the game so it's seen as a very good opportunity in a new form of the game to express his own individuality and learn how to lead the side.”

Clarke surprised

Clarke was astonished when Hilditch told him he would lead the side in Perth, initially fearing he’d been dropped for the match. “I was over the moon, I didn't know what to say,” said Clarke. “It’s the one thing I’ve always wanted to do and dreamt of since I was a kid.”

Ashley Noffke who took 24 wickets and scored 490 runs in the recently concluded Pura Cup was rewarded for his all-round efforts. However, Ben Hilfenhaus was excluded from the squad.

Twenty20 squad:
Adam Gilchrist (wk), Brad Hodge, Michael Clarke (captian), Michael Hussey, Andrew Symonds, Adam Voges, Brett Lee, Ashley Noffke, Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark, Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Tait.