Victoria’s new captain, Sutherland set to lead Australia A

Will Sutherland’s stocks are rising and rising, with the Victorian all-rounder named as Australia A’s captain for the upcoming three-match 50-over series against New Zealand ‘A’ in Queensland, starting September 10 (Sunday). 

The 23-year-old led the Victorian side in four Sheffield Shield clashes last year in the absence of the state’s regular captain, Peter Handscomb. Todd Murphy, who was expected to be part of the setup, has been withdrawn, with the off-spinner suffering from a niggle. 

Despite the latter's tremendous record, Sutherland has been named as the skipper ahead of the much-hyped Ashton Turner - who has led Western Australia to two Marsh Cup titles and twin Big Bash League (BBL) titles. 

While Handscomb will continue leading the Victorian side in the 50-over format, Sutherland will lead the red-ball format. 

"Will is a tremendous leader and has all the right attributes to succeed as a captain," Handscomb said. "I have absolutely loved leading Victoria in the Sheffield Shield, but it's now Will's time to take our side forward.

"I'm still excited to be captaining our One-Day side and will be doing everything I can to support Will and the rest of the squad, both on and off the field."

Sutherland insisted that it is an ‘honour’ to lead the state side and added that he’s looking forward to the challenges that come with the title. 

"Pete has been a fantastic captain for us and has been incredibly supportive of me taking on this responsibility," Sutherland said. "It's an honour to captain Victoria. I loved the chance I had to captain the side last season while Pete was in India and am looking forward to taking on the challenge this season.

"Knowing I have the support of Pete, Chris Rogers and the rest of the coaching and playing group fills me with a lot of confidence and I can't wait to get started."

On the ‘A’ side of things, Caleb Jewell has been added to the setup after his stunning returns in the second four-day clash. In the absence of several A-listers who are currently injured, Tom Rogers has been added to the setup.  

Australia A 50-over squad: Will Sutherland (c), Ollie Davies, Liam Hatcher, Caleb Jewell, Matt Kuhnemann, Ben McDermott, Josh Philippe, Matt Renshaw, Tom Rogers, Gurinder Sandhu, Matt Short, Mark Steketee, Ashton Turner